Legend of Korra: A New Age
by StoriesCoffee
Summary: This is the story of how an earthbender from Ba Sing Se became the next Avatar and the people she helped along the way. It will include a few characters from the Legend of Korra, but most of them are my own. Follow the new Avatar's story as she battles a new villain and watch her struggle as she tries to adapt to an ever-changing world.
1. Book 1: Earth

_**Book 1: Earth**_

**10 Years Ago**

"Sire, the President just sent a telegram. I'm afraid it's bad news…"

The Earth King was staring out the window, his figure flickering darkly under the light of the dying sun. Beautiful colors were sprayed over the horizon, yet the King of the largest nation in the world looked on in bitterness. Finally, he turned around to his lead guard and took the telegram from his hand. He looked down at it for a moment before immediately throwing it into the fire. He turned his back towards the guard once more.

"These 'New Republicans' have gained control over Republic City," the Earth King hissed. "They've already conducted their elections and they've chosen this up-and-coming politician who calls himself 'Bishop'. He's already asking for reform." The guard stood stalk still in the doorway. He was wearing the traditional garb of an Earth Kingdom general, but he had a large spike through one ear and his hair was donned in a strange-looking Mohawk.

"What are your orders, sir?" he asked respectfully. The Earth King thought for a moment as he continued to gaze out the window. Finally, he turned around and gazed meaningfully at his right-hand man.

"As soon as 'Bishop' claims his presidency we'll have war on our hands," he said clearly. "He'll push non-benders against the benders and then there will be utter chaos. He'll eventually come for Ba Sing Se and the Earth Kingdom…" The guard shook his head in defiance.

"We won't let this place fall," he stated determinedly, his eyes shining proudly. "He can't defeat ALL of us benders…" The Earth King sighed and put a hand on his guard's shoulder.

"He won't have to," he stated. "You've seen the signs…the propaganda about benders. It's been happening for some time now. Non-benders are feeling as if they're being oppressed by the benders, and are not getting equality. I fear that this is just the beginning to a long road ahead of us…" He glanced up at his guard and gave the man a gentle smile.

"I know that you're a firebender, Jonny," he stated. "I don't know how much longer Ba Sing Se can stay safe. I insist that you head out of town. Get out of here while you still have the chance." The guard stiffened a little at this and bowed his head.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir," he stated strongly. "I refuse to leave you, or your family, to defend yourselves." His face then went gentle and he did an uncustomary smile towards the King. "Besides, we don't know for sure if this thing is going to go out like you planned. Maybe this'll blow over and this 'Bishop' character will be happy with just having Republic City under his control." The Earth King sighed and nodded his head. Just then, the doors flew open and in ran a young boy and a younger girl. The young boy jumped up on the girl, but she easily dodged his attack by hiding behind the King's legs.

"Ah, no fair Anya!" called the boy, a pout on his lips. "You can't use dad as a shield!" The girl called Anya stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

"Says you!" she called back. The boy gave her a bad look and began chasing after her, however, the father laughed and picked up the dark-haired boy with both hands and lifted him in the air.

"Now Elijah," the King scorned softly. "Be nice to your sister." Anya stuck her tongue out at Elijah once more before letting out a peal of high-pitched laughter and sprinting out of the room, the boy tagging along behind her. The doors creaked open once more to reveal the beautiful Queen with two daughters by her side—one a teenager, and the other growing into adolescence. The Queen gently walked over and kissed her husband on the cheek before nodding in greeting to the general.

"Is everything alright, dear?" she asked, noticing the look in his eyes. The King picked up his expression and gave her a hasty smile.

"Of course, darling," he responded nonchalantly. "I have to talk to you later tonight." He added, glancing sideways at her. The Queen's face went rigid for a moment before she nodded her head. Clearing his throat, the King looked around the room in expectation. "Where's Aiden and Jorah?" he asked, referring to his two eldest children. The Queen rolled her eyes and gestured out the window.

"They both insist on seeing who can swim the fastest. They're down by the creek," she answered, a slight smile on her lips. The King smiled wistfully at this before kissing his wife on the cheek and telling her that he would be with her shortly. She gave him a weary look before leaving him alone once again. The King's face immediately wilted and he looked like he aged several years in the span of two seconds.

"They can't know how bad things are right now," he whispered desperately to Jonny. The guard nodded his head. "I'll tell the Queen about the new regime in Republic City, but nobody can know that she is an earthbender. As are Jorah and Maria." He referred to two of his children, looking out the window. Jonny sat there in stunned silence. He hadn't known that so many of the King's children were benders…before he could say anything, the King turned back and glared at the firebender.

"You also have to promise me that you won't tell a soul of anything I tell you here tonight," he whispered, suddenly mysterious. Jonny bowed his head in respect, baffled that he would even suggest such a thing. "You cannot tell _anybody_ about this," he threatened. "If the unrest in the Earth Kingdom grows then benders everywhere will be facing prosecution…even the King's family." Jonny nodded his head slowly and gave the Earth King a bow.

"Don't worry sir," he said clearly. "Nobody will know..."

**The Night of Shattered Glass-5 Years Ago**

Five years had passed since that fateful night, and the King's children had all grown up to be intelligent, kind, and strong. Aidan was gearing up to take his rightful place as heir to the throne, Jorah was preparing himself for a great and promising career in sports, Ila was debuting as a potential Duchess, Elijah was studying to go into business, Maria was studying to be a doctor, Avanni was furthering her interest in fashion design, and Anya was focusing on keeping her earthbending a secret—having discovered it a few weeks ago, and believing that she was the only one with this "affliction".

It was a time of celebration for everyone. The New Year had just passed, and the King was hosting a large party in the palace ballroom. Guests of all nature were to arrive in big satomobiles, dressed to the nines. While this would have been an exciting affair for anyone else, the King was nervously pacing his quarters, sipping on a glass of whiskey. Jonny, now looking slightly older and worn, walked in with at a brisk pace. The King sighed a little when he saw his trusted guard.

"Ah, Jonny, it's good of you to be here," he stated, adding: "I know you've been very busy in Republic City…" The guard gave his King a curt nod, understanding what the man was trying to get at.

"Is there something you needed, sir?" he asked, respectfully. The King nodded his head and stopped pacing, his expression one of dire concern.

"Yes, Jonny, I have a very important task for you tonight," started the King, his face gravelly serious. "I don't know what's going to happen tonight, but if something should go wrong I need you to promise that you'll keep Anya safe." Jonny looked a bit baffled by this, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Sire, I'm sure nothing will go wrong," he said reassuring the man. "Bishop would never attempt to overthrow you, especially on such a busy holiday." The King waved his reassurance off with a flick of his wrist.

"No Jonny, you have to _promise_ me that if it comes down to it, you'll save Anya first. Nothing can happen to her; it is of the utmost importance," he reiterated. Jonny raised an eyebrow at this, baffled by the King's sudden persistence.

"But why?" he asked, uncharacteristically. The King sighed and took a long drink from his glass before turning to his guard, the frown on his face deepening.

"When Anya was a child I immediately noticed her knack for bending," he started. Jonny was surprised by his candidness about bending. Bishop had just banned in the New Republic, and it was becoming a taboo topic. But the King continued: "Anya was naturally gifted in earthbending…so much so that it seemed unnatural for a child her age. Out of concern, I had some monks from the Air Temples come in the dead of night and test her abilities. After what seemed like hours of waiting, I finally found out…Anya is the Avatar…" Jonny stepped back at this, his eyes widening in shock.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice almost desperate. "Are you positive?" The King sighed and nodded his head in defeat.

"Yes," he stated. "But Anya doesn't know…and she can't know…not yet. The burden alone would kill her. But that's why I need you to promise me that if anything happens tonight, Anya is your priority…over me, the Queen, and even the other children…" Jonny was silent for a moment, his mind going a mile a minute. Finally, he nodded his head solemnly and shook the King's hand.

"I promise, sir."

Three floors about the King's private sitting room was Anya's room, and it was filled with dresses of various colors and shapes, and all of the daughters were gathered around in anticipation. Anya was standing before the dresses with a frown on her face, her eyes a bright grey. Avanni was sitting on the edge of her seat, a big smile on her face. "Well?!" she demanded, thrusting a yellow dress in front of the younger sister. Anya sighed and gave her older sister a disgusted look.

"Avanni, this is ridiculous!" she exclaimed, eyeing the dress. "I would look like the sun!" Ila glanced at her sister with patience only a big sister could muster and gently handed the dress over.

"Just wear the damn thing," she hissed, throwing in a swear word for dramatic effect. Maria giggled and gently nudged Anya towards the privacy patrician.

"Just go put it on!" she squealed cheerfully. Anya rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her sisters before putting on the dress. Giving it a twirl, she danced barefooted around her room for her older sisters as they clapped and giggled in joy. Avanni jumped up and gave a mock bow towards her sisters.

"See! My fashion prowess is uncontested! If I can make Anya look good, then I can make _anyone_ look good!" Anya gave her sister a good-hearted nudge before turning to the mirror and letting her do her make-up for her. Despite being surrounded by her graceful sisters and beautiful jewels and treasures, Anya _hated_ dressing up and being royal. As the youngest, she was never expected to be the sweetest, or the nicest looking, or even the most responsible. Ila was next in line for the throne next to Aidan, Maria was the caring one, and Avanni the fashionable one; leaving her with nothing to live up to. Instead, she spent her days wandering the grounds, or sneaking out of the palace and exploring the city. The guards absolutely _hated_ having to keep track of her because she was always sneaking off. She loved Ba Sing Se. To her, it was more than a home, it was a place worth exploring and figuring out. Anya spent most of her young adolescence coming home late covered in garbage and/or muck.

But tonight was a royal ball, so she had to suck it up and put on a dress. Just as Maria was pulling her hair back in a ponytail, the door opened and in walked the stunning Queen Mother. Their mother was radiant in a silk, white, dress, the crown of jewels sitting gracefully on the top of her smoothed hair. She smiled at her daughters and put a gentle hand on Anya's shoulder. "Well, don't you look nice…and not covered in mud for a change," she teased, her voice soft and feathery. The Queen gently hugged her youngest daughter tightly and looking her up and down. "Oh, you're getting so big…," she whispered, her eyes tearing up a little. Anya pulled out of her mother's arms and gave her a strange look.

"Don't get all teary-eyed on me mother," she teased back, a smirk on her face. The Queen chuckled and looked at her other daughters with a smile.

"You _all_ look beautiful tonight," she cooed proudly. Avanni puffed out her chest in pride, her eyebrows raised.

"Thank _you_," she said with a smirk. Gesturing for her daughters, the Queen opened the bedroom door and began leading the procession of young women down the long hallway and to the main staircase. Lots of people of significance were waiting for them at the bottom, and as soon as they stood at the top of the stairs, people turned and gazed wonderfully at the beautiful Queen and her daughters. The Queen descended the staircase looking radiant and calm. Ila and Maria were next followed by Avanni, and then Anya. Anya forced a smile on her face and slowly walked down, focusing on not tripping. Finally, she made it to the bottom without incident and breathed a sigh of relief. The music picked up once again and people began floating to the dance floor where they started to swing each other around. Anya was about to head over to the refreshment table, but Elijah grabbed her arm and pulled her out onto the dance floor.

"C'mon Anya," he said, chuckling. "You have to dance at least once. For appearance sake." Anya sighed and waltzed with her brother.

"You _hate_ dancing," she mumbled. Elijah chuckled peevishly at this and shrugged his shoulder.

"Yeah, but we've got all night. So, I thought why not," he stated, swinging her around. Just as he did this, Anya was able to look over his shoulder and see that Maria and Jorah were whispering to themselves in the corner, glancing over at Anya with meaningful looks. Anya rolled her eyes at this and huffed.

"Why are Maria and Jorah acting so weird?" she asked, carefully making sure not to step on he brother's toes. Elijah's face suddenly got serious as he glanced over at his scheming siblings.

"They just have a lot in common..," he mumbled, lying horribly. Anya gave him an exasperated look. Maria and Jorah were about as opposite as you could get. While Maria was gentle and nurturing, Jorah was rough and impatient. Anya got along with both of them really well, but she had never seen the two of them so glued together. Frowning, Anya finished the dance with her brother and immediately walked over to the refreshment table. She looked around at her siblings, noticing how each one seemed preoccupied with other people. Aiden was doing his duty as heir to the throne by talking with all the major business people and head honchos. Ila was dancing with an unknown cousin, Maria and Jorah were still scheming in the corner, Avanni was being asked to dance by several different boys, and Elijah had moved on to hit on several different girls. Just as Anya was taking a sip of her drink, she glanced over and noticed a family face keeping watch from the corner of the room. She walked over with a big smile on her face.

"Jonny!" she exclaimed excitedly, her eyes bright. The guard gave her a respectful bow, but a smirk played on his lips.

"Your Highness…," he mumbled. For some reason, Anya could see something different in his eyes. He was acting normally around her, and he was looking at her in a different light. Frowning, Anya stepped forward.

"Is something wrong?" she asked her old friend. Jonny gave her a fake smile and shook his head unconvincingly.

"Of course not," he stated, his voice harsh. "Why don't you go back onto the dance floor and have fun." Anya gave him a strange look before taking his suggestion. Eyeing Jorah and Maria still whispering in the corner, the young woman stomped over and grabbed Jorah's elbow, pulling him out onto the dance floor.

"C'mon Jorah!" she exclaimed forcefully. "You should at least dance with _one_ of your sisters." Jorah grumbled, but obliged, beginning to waltz with Anya. The young princess looked up at her brother with an annoyed expression.

"What have you and Maria been whispering about?" she asked, getting straight to the point. Jorah's face grew grim and he shrugged his shoulders.

"We just talked about the weather," he said peevishly. Anya rolled her eyes at this and stepped on her brother's foot in a frustrated manner.

"Jorah, just tell me!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot a little. As he did this, the floor cracked a little under her foot and she looked up to see Jorah glaring down at her with a knowing look. Clearing her throat, she pulled Jorah a little further down the dance floor, trying to ignore what just happened.

"You need to control yourself," Jorah whispered in her ear. Anya snapped to attention at this, her eyes widening.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," she lied obviously. Jorah gave her a knowing look before clearing is throat and bending over her ear.

"Things are about to change," he whispered urgently. "Maria overheard father talking about how the war is getting worse and the Earth Kingdom is losing." Anya swallowed a large lump in her throat and forced herself to roll her eyes at her ridiculous brother.

"They won't be able to touch us," she said confidently. "Maria doesn't know what she heard. Nobody has ever been able to take Ba Sing Se and keep it. We'll be fine." Anya wanted to believe this, almost desperately so. But something in Jorah's voice, and something about the atmosphere surrounding the ball, was telling her that he was right; the war was changing, and something was going to happen. Just then the music stopped and everybody applauded for the musicians. Giving her a bow, and a strange look, Jorah left his sister in contemplation in the middle of the dance floor.

For the rest of the night, the young princess could think of nothing else but the war that was upon them. Finally, around midnight, the ball ended, and the children were forced to see everyone out the door and say their good-byes. After, Anya ran upstairs to her room and was about to change when there was a soft knock on her door and in walked her mother. The Queen was still radiating in her white gown, the tiara now gone from her head. "I just wanted to say good-night darling," she said with gentle smile. Anya gave her mother a tight hug and a warm smile. Sitting beside her on the bed, the Queen put a hand on her knee.

"Did you enjoy the dancing?" she asked gently. Anya nodded her head, glancing every once in a while out the window, feeling slightly anxious. The Queen smiled proudly, excited that her most rebellious child was finally beginning to enjoy what normal people enjoyed. "I'm so glad." Anya looked at her mother, wondering if what Jorah had said was true.

"Mother," she started, unsure of how to proceed. "Are we losing the war?" The Queen was a little taken aback by this question, immediately sitting up straight, a frown spreading across her face.

"I-I believe so," she stammered, attempting to reconfigure her expression. She gently took Anya's hand in hers. "Darling, why are you asking such a question?" Anya sighed, looking down at her feet nervously.

"Jorah said something earlier today about us losing the war…," she admitted. The Queen clucked her tongue disapprovingly and tightened her grip on Anya's hand.

"Don't listen to your brother," she whispered reassuringly. "We're perfectly safe up here in the palace. Nobody has managed to capture Ba Sing Se." Anya looked into her mother's eyes and immediately knew she was lying…or at least bending the truth. Something was wrong, and it was making the King and Queen nervous. Putting on a brave face, Anya gave her mother a genuine hug and pretended that her nerves were gone. Patting her on the knee, the Queen stood up and began to make her exit.

"Don't worry, my darling," she cooed as she stepped out of the door. "Nothing will happen to you…" And with that, she blew a kiss and left Anya alone. The young princess sat there staring out the dark window, her thoughts reeling. A sense of curiousity and foreboding crept into her veins. Changing into some worn slacks and a jacket, Anya stuffed her feet into a pair of boots and tucked her hair into a hat, hiding her female form. She threw a pack of some food and water over her shoulder and opened her chamber window. A few years ago she had discovered a low-hanging tree branch which she could use as a sort of ladder down. She nimbly climbed out onto the tree and landed softly on the grass, making sure that the guards patrolling the front doors weren't paying attention. Keeping to the shadows, she darted from tree to tree, until finally making it to the stairs and sliding down the ramparts to the main road. Anya didn't know why, but she felt as if she just _had_ to know what was going on.

Like many times before, Anya carefully made her way through the city darkness, keeping to the shadows. It took her a few hours, but she finally made it to the first ring where the slums sat. Homeless people lined the streets, but she ignored them, making her way to the outer wall. Walking around the outer wall, she made her way to a blind spot where the guards didn't quite make it. Taking a deep breath, Anya got in a defensive stance and closed her eyes with a steadying breath. In one swift movement, she jerked her arms to the side and out popped a stone staircase from the wall. The young princess had practiced this one move for weeks in an attempt to control this earthbending. She pulled herself to the top and looked over the edge. Her stomach jumped up in her throat.

New Republic troops were marching towards the Great Wall, large black flags and large black weapons in their hands. Dust was kicking up behind the procession, making it seem bigger. In the distance, she could see the clouds parting to make room for the zeppelins and fighter plans that were coming closer each passing second. Just as Anya was about to shout, there was a large blast in the distance where the Spirit Portal sat glowing on the horizon. The crashing noise nearly crippled her, and the Spirit Portal suddenly went from glowing white to a disgusting orange-green color. In that same moment a splitting pain shot through Anya's head and she fell to her knees in agony, gripping her skull in her hands.

The Spirit Portal in the distance was ripped from the sky, and it was forced back into the ground. Hundreds of lights lit up the sky, and Anya felt a strange tear trickle down her cheek. The Spirit Portal was destroyed, along with the spirits that had surrounded it. Before she could realize what was happening, there was another loud explosion sound; this one was coming from the palace. In the distance, Anya watched in horror as her home lit up in flame and smoke. Several explosions went off, the glass shattering from the windows. The young princess heard shouts coming from that direction, and she got back up onto her feet. She moved towards it, but was held back by a rough hand. Without evening thinking, just feeling the anxiety and pain, she whipped her hand back, forcing a large pillar of stone to come crashing from the ground and towards the intruder. There was a grunt, and she turned around to see the guard, Jonny, on his butt rubbing his side.

"Jonny!" she whispered, her eyes wide. Groaning, the guard got up and grabbed her arm once again, pulling her towards the stairs.

"C'mon kid, we have to go!" he shouted over the sound of two more explosions coming from the palace. Anya resisted, looking back at her home in desperation.

"But my family!" she shouted, pulling against the guard. He grunted as she kicked up her foot and another pillar barely dodged his shoulder.

"We have to leave!" he shouted over the sound of the war drums sounding in the distance. "You're not safe here!" She struggled with all her might, her face twisted up in rage and pain, tears streaming down her face. The rock underneath Jonny's feet began crumbling, and the ground around them shook so much that the guard began to look around in fear. The wall was shaking, cracks were beginning to run down the side. With a newfound desperation, the guard gripped Anya's arm hard.

"NOW kid!" he shouted, practically picking her up and carrying her towards a satomobile waiting on the street. "We have to get out of here!" Anya struggled with all of her might, swinging her arms and creating bursts of rock to fly out of the ground.

"I have to find my family!" she insisted urgently, tears flooding her eyes. With a sigh, Jonny grabbed her arm, and with a jab of his hand hit her in the soft part below her shoulder. Anya fell to the ground with a grunt, her rocks falling around her. The last thing she saw as she fell unconscious was her house on fire.

…**..**

_Her mother was sitting there on her comfy chair in front of the roaring fire in the family living room. In the background the radio was playing a sooting jazz song while the Queen hummed along. Anya was sitting by her mother's feet, her legs curled up to her chest while she read a book. Everything in this moment was so peaceful, yet Anya crinkled her face up in worry and sadness. She turned and looked up at her mother, her eyes sad. The Queen looked down at the young princess, her humming stopped. Her beautifully soft face suddenly twisting in pain and rage. A trickle of bright red blood suddenly dribbled down from her hairline and her mouth fell open in shock._

Just then Anya woke up with a start, her breathing ragged and sweat running down her forehead. Every sense was on autopilot, and she desperately looked around, her eyes wide. She was sitting in the backseat of a satomobile, a blanket over her lap. In the front seat was Jonny, silently driving. Looking around in sudden realization, Anya could tell that they were in the countryside, the desert sticking out harshly on their left. Fear and sadness crept through her veins and into her stomach. "Where are we?" she asked suddenly, her voice sharp. Jonny glanced back at her in the rearview mirror.

"We're a few miles away from Omashu," he stated. "You were out for a while."

Anya sat there completely dumbfounded, a mixture of emotions running through her. "Why are we going there?" she asked, just trying to comprehend what was going on.

"I've got people there and a safe house," he answered stoically. "You'll be safe there, at least for a while." Anya was silent as the night flew past them, her hair whipping around her head. The memory of the dream was still fresh in her mind and a few tears trickled down her face.

"What about my family?" she asked, her voice cracking. "What's going to happen to them? Are they still alive? Did they escape?" Jonny was silent for a long moment before finally clearing his throat.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But Bishop wouldn't risk killing them, so they're probably being shipped off to different political prisons." Anya closed her eyes and forced down a sob that was sticking in her throat. She couldn't even imagine them in a prison, much less facing execution. The idea made her sick to her stomach. Unable to contain herself, she let out a loud sob and put her head between her knees, forcing herself to take even breaths. Jonny, noticing her state, immediately pulled the car over to the side of the road and let her have a few moments of silence. He looked back at her, concern and worry on his face. Awkwardly patting her on the shoulder, the soldier didn't quite know how to comfort her. Images of her family's faces flew through her mind, and in that moment Anya made a decision: she was going to do everything in her power to find them and bring them together again. She _would_ see her family again safe and sound, and she_ would _go back to Ba Sing Se with them. Taking another deep breath, she calmed her mind and sat back up in her seat.

"Are you okay, Little Bird?" Jonny asked with a worried smile. Anya nodded her head, her face completely calm. Clearing his throat, the guard turned back to the wheel and began continuing his driving towards Omashu. For the remaining journey, Anya watched the landscape go by. The desert was blazing in the heat, and the sun was soaking her skin. A slight breeze blew her hair back, but as they worked their way towards the south there was a slight rise of temperature. The two strange companions did not speak for the rest of the ride, preferring to take their breaks in silence. Finally, after 4 hours of straight driving, with the sun high in the sky, they got to the gates of Omashu.

Anya looked up at the large mountain that was the city. Over the years the previous head of states and Avatars had developed the city. It grew as a metropolis and had many famous sites—such as the great slide that sat in the middle of the city and worked as the old mail system. With a smile Anya remembered the time she had last been there. Her father had been the Ambassador for the King and he had taken the children. Avanni, Ila, and Maria refused to go on the ride, but Anya had laughed at the challenge and went with her brothers. Looking up at the slide now, she could see that it was falling apart from disease and covered in garbage.

"Why is the slide so damaged?" she asked, looking over at the guard. Jonny merely glanced up at the monument before shrugging his shoulders.

"Bishop has been using all of the money towards the war," he stated nonchalantly. Frowning, Anya was pulled forward in the satomobile as the gates opened and they slowly passed the guards with big guns. Jonny merely nodded at them as he drove in, acting as if they were merely a father and daughter going back home from a long journey. Jonny drove them through the city, twisting and turning with the streets. Looking out at the sidewalk, Anya saw dirty people lying down in the middle of the street or surrounding garbage bins lit on fire. Grimacing at the image, she sunk low in her seat and focused on where they were going. They made their way into the farther stretches of the South where the city made way for the countryside. Cliffs and ridges lined the sky, shielding them from the city in the distance. Finally, the satomobile turned the corner and came upon a grassy area with trees surrounding a small cottage next to a babbling river.

Jonny stopped the car and opened the back door for Anya. The princess hesitantly jumped out and looked around as the guard brought her pack and banged on the door three times in a strange rhythm. There was a moment of pause before the door swung open and revealed a rather aggressive-looking woman with large muscles and an eye patch over her left eyes. She frowned down at the princess and folded her arms over her chest. "Is this the girl?" she asked Jonny, her voice sharp and strong. Jonny gave the woman a wry smile and nodded his head.

"Let us in, Scar," he stated, pushing past her. The woman called 'Scar' chuckled at this and let them pass through the door. Jonny walked upstairs with Anya and dropped her stuff off in one of the open bedrooms. He turned to the princess and gave her a sad look. Anya was silent as she looked around at her new home. Finally, she sighed and looked up at her rescuer.

"What happens now?" she asked. "How long am I going to be here for?" Jonny sighed and glanced out the window.

"I don't know, Little Bird," he stated truthfully. "But you're going to stay here with Scar until its safe."

"Why did you save me?" Anya suddenly asked, her eyes desperate. "Who are you? How did you come by a safe house?" She asked these questions quickly and desperately, her eyes wide and innocent. Jonny looked into them and his face went sad, his features softening sympathetically. He put a strong hand on her shoulder and offered her a seat on the bed next to him.

"I'm the leader of a rebellion group in Republic City," he admitted. "We are looking to take Bishop down and get rid of the anti-bending laws that plague this land. Scar is one of my officers and she's here to help you control your earthbending." Anya was silent at this as she looked down at her hands folded in her lap. Of course she had heard of the rebellion, but she never encountered it so up and personal. Before Anya could say anything, there was a buzzing sound emitting from Jonny's pocket. He immediately pulled out a two-way radio and pushed the talk button.

"What's going on Cid?" he asked into the speakerphone.

"Just wanted to know when you were getting back, brother," said a deep voice from the other end. Clearing his throat Jonny answered:

"I'm heading back right now, I'll be back into the city bright and early in the morning."

Anya raised an eyebrow at this and looked at her guard curiously. "You're leaving?" she asked, concerned. Jonny sighed and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Little Bird," he said softly. "But I have to get back to the rebellion."

"Well, can't I come with you?" she asked desperately. Jonny shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile.

"No, it's not safe enough yet for you to come to Republic City. But don't worry, I'll be back soon. Meanwhile, you listen to Scar and begin your earthbending training." With a sigh, Anya nodded her head and followed him back down to the small living room where the muscular Scar was waiting. He walked up to the woman and gave her a short nod.

"I have to leave for Republic City," he stated. "I trust you two will get along. Anya is an excellent student and she's excited to start learning from you." Jonny gave Anya a small wink before quickly making his exit. Anya stood in front of the strong woman, her arm tucked behind her. Clearing her throat, she was about to say something but the woman put a hand up to stop her.

"Get something to eat from the fridge then meet me in the back," she stated and turned and walked out of the back door. With a sigh, Anya went into the kitchen and made herself a sandwhich before strolling out the back door. The backyard was basically a fortified ditch with a large field in the middle and big piles of boulders and pillars around the edge. Scar was standing in the middle, waiting with her arms crossed and a bad look on her face. Anya finished her sandwich and walked over with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, so what's fir-" Before she could finish she was tripped up by a sudden jolt of rock underneath her. She looked up to protest, but a rock was flying straight at her. Without thinking, Anya clapped her hands together and broke the rock before it hit her face. She then grunted as she pulled herself out of the trap around her foot.

"What the hell?!" she exclaimed, glaring at Scar. "How dare you attack me! I'm the King's daughter!" Scar scoffed at this and shook her head.

"You're not the princess here," she stated harshly. "Here people will try to hurt you, and in order to survive you need to be able to think on your feet." Her features softened and she looked Anya in the eyes.

"I know things are confusing right now," she whispered gently. "But if you want to find your family then you need to toughen up. Earthbending is important, and if you can control it then it won't control you." Anya looked at her feet, then with a large amount of restraint and determination, Anya looked back up at Scar and nodded her head. Smiling, Scar backed up a few paces and got down in a defense position, Anya followed suit. With a sudden movement, Scar brought up her hands and let loose a barrage of flying rocks.

**Today (5 Years Later)**

_**Maria's POV**_

Everything was dark. The men who had raided the palace had taken her forcefully from her room and into a van waiting outside the city. As soon as the shackles were clamped around her wrists and ankles one of the men had tied a black bag around her head, making sure she couldn't see anything. She tried to shout and scream, but to no avail. The van was moving had a fast pace down the cobbled streets of the city, and she could hear people screaming around her. Just then, she heard another person's voice rip through the silence of the vehicle.

"Maria?" the voice asked lightly.

"Avanni?" Maria responded, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. "Thank god! Are you alright? Where are the others?"

Maria heard her sister sniffle a little, her voice was shaky. "I'm fine…I don't know where the others are…I saw them take Jorah and Aiden into a different van. Did you see mom and dad?" Maria swallowed a lump down her throat and tried to keep her voice even.

"No…it was too chaotic…do you know where Ila or Elijah is?" she asked. Avanni stifled another sob and cleared her throat.

"I thought I saw Elijah and Ila leave from the ballroom window…" Before she could say anything else, Maria made a shushing sound to indicate to be quiet around the guards. Making sure that she wasn't overheard by the guards, she cleared her throat and lowered her voice.

"What about Anya?" she asked.

"I don't know…I didn't see her…"

"Maybe she got out…" But before Maria could speculate any further, the vehicle suddenly swerved to a stop and the guards began filing out. She heard the doors swing open and a pair of rough hands grabbed her arms and tied them tightly behind her back. They then pulled her forward a few steps. She heard the sound of a large gate swing open, and she was pushed forward into a doorway and down a long hallway. Just then the guard pulling her along stopped and there was a pinging noise. Another door slid open and the guard roughly cut the ropes binding her hands together and pushed Maria into the room. She fell to the ground and immediately took off her mask. She watched as a mask-covered Avanni was shoved down the hallway. She stood up and was about to run out of the cell, but the guard quickly slammed the door shut. She plowed into the door and began banging away.

"Avanni!" she screamed. There was some muffled shouts and cries from her sister.

"Maria!" she shouted. Maria cried out at she continuously kicked the door. Out of breath, she stepped back and gritted her teeth. With immense concentration, she focused all of her attention on the door. Without hesitation, she shot her fingers into the steel, denting the metal slightly. She pulled in opposite directions, but there was nothing…Groaning, she stepped back. The metal was too pure, she wasn't able to bend the rock in the infrastructure. Just then, she heard a throaty laugh from behind the door.

"Go ahead and bend all you want little girl. That whole cell is made with the most pure platinum that money can buy…nobody can escape…"

Maria felt a sob escape her throat as she leaned against the back wall and slid onto her butt. She pulled her knees up to her chest and placed her head in her lap, taking a few steadying breaths. Maria let the tears spill out of her eyes and gra?e her cheeks. There was no escape…how was she ever going to get out of this terrible place?

_**Anya's POV**_

"Come on, Anya! You're going to get yourself killed!"

The young woman giggled as she stood at the edge of the cliff over-looking the growing city of Omashu. The wind was whipping her hair back as she stood on her very tippy-toes at the very edge, her eyes shut tight as she opened her arms wide feeling the air blow past her. Her two friends were away from the ledge and trying to encourage to her come back. Finally, Anya opened her eyes and sighed before carefully stepping back away from the edge. She turned back to Bolt and May with a playful expression on her face. The sun was beginning to sink below the hori?on, throwing shadows and colors across the city. "Are you ready for another lesson?" Bolt asked, a peevish look crossing his face. May was silently standing behind him, a smirk on her face. Anya nodded her head and pulled up a handkerchief over the bottom half of her face. Together, the three of them snuck off into the heart of the city.

In the past two years, Anya has taken careful lessons from Scar on the art of earthbending while at the same time she had been discovering the streets and alleys of Omashu. A few weeks after moving in to the house on the outskirts, Scar had left for Republic City on some errands and had left the young woman alone. With nothing else to do, she ventured off around the city, discovering the streets and back alleys. She quickly found all of the ins-and-outs of the city, but while she was venturing through the darkness she met Bolt and May-two orphans who were struggling to survive on their own. Anya met them while May was trying to steal from her purse. After that, she chased the girl down the alley to their small abandoned house on the corner. There, she met Bolt who greeted her pleasantly enough and offered to give her stealing lessons for her silence. For the next few weeks she was a quick learner, picking rich peoples' pockets and stealing from ladies' purses. Bolt was a constant joker with an easy grin and quick mind. He HATED people with money (a reason why she kept her heritage a secret), but he was gentle with the poor and unfortunate souls. A type of Robin Hood, he gave most of the money he stole to the poor of Omashu. He took care of his younger sister who was a sweet, extremely quiet thing. Her silent nature allowed her to slip in and out of people's pockets and into deluxe apartments.

Anya was a fast learner; and after looking around Omashu she was more than happy to give away her earnings to the greater good. Even though she had lived in the palace and ate the fanciest cakes and leanest meat. She had been pampered and served everything on a silver platter…but she had always felt like there had been something missing in her heart…and then she found it in Omashu. The first time she stole was like a rush of excitement and giddiness in one fell swoop…and then when she gave the money to a single mother with 2 kids living on the streets she felt something shift in her heart…she felt a heart-warming moment wash over her and that's when she reali?ed how much she loved helping others. That's when she decided that she would forgo her 'princess' title and work on her charity tactics. For the rest of her time spent at Omashu she learned every form of earthbending, and when Scar was away she dressed all in black and went out hunting for fat purses and wallets.

That's what she did this evening as the sun began to sink below the hori?on. She followed Bolt and May through a few alleys before hopping up to the rooftops from a low-hanging ladder. The three of them ga?ed out over the city, looking for anyone who could be easily conned. Just then, Bolt pointed down to a couple on the street. May smiled and Anya followed their leads off the side of the building and into the darkness of the alley. They were mere shadows as the light of the sun was dying on the hori?on. They acted quickly and moved fast as the couple continued to walk down the street with their backs turned to the oncoming thieves. Anya went first, sneaking up behind them and delicately opening the woman's purse and sneaking out a few bills. Bolt and May quickly followed, quickly taking off watches and arm bands. Just as the woman's bracelet fell off she turned around, but in the next second the three muskateers were gone, tucked away in the next alley.

The rest of the night wore on like this. The three of them would get the jump on some unexpecting rich people then disappear into a hidey hole. Towards the end of the night, they sat down and began counting out their loot. Anya was sitting on a random cardboard box, the money and diamonds stretched across her lap. She looked up at the two siblings and grinned. "Quite a load tonight!" she exclaimed happily. May nodded her head while Bolt whistled under his breath.

"This'll feed a lot of families this week," he murmured in agreement. They counted out the rest and divided equally into several amounts. They then wrapped the money and jewelry in baskets and began the delivery process. This took a few more hours as they scoured the poorer area of the city and dropped the baskets off at family doorstops. Afterwards they watched the sun set in the hori?on from the top of the mail carrier at the very top of the city. A few blocks away sat the Ambassador's house, and Anya couldn't help but ga?e at it, remembering a time long ago when she would have been staying in the palace instead of in a cabin on the outskirts of the city. With a sigh, Anya stood up and pushed a hand through her hair. In the distance, she could see the tall trees that were covering the small lake near which the cabin sat. In a few hours Scar would be home, and she wasn't quite aware of Anya's after hours activities. So, with a sigh, she bade her friends goodbye before jumping down and making her way back home.

As she walked through the back door there was a rumble under her feet and she jumped just as rock shot out from the floor. Anya had heard, and felt, it coming so she merely stepped out of the way. She immediately got down in a defensive move and was about to attack back when she saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall. Anya bit her bottom lip, already feeling the guilt rush through her. The silence reined between her and Scar for a few moments. Scar just stood there, her eyes digging deep into Anya's face. She shifted uncomfortably and broke the silence with a huff of impatience. "Well, let me hear it…," she urged, waiting for the lecture. The muscular woman sighed and shook her head as she took a few steps forward.

"You know how dangerous it is to be in the city…," she warned. Anya rolled her eyes and huffed again, walking into the kitchen out of irritation and grab a water bottle. Scar followed her in and leaned against the counter. "I know that it's frustrating, Anya, but if anyone was to find out who you are…"

"No one will find out," Anya insisted, her anger rising. "It's been five YEARS, Scar! No one is looking for me anymore. They probably just think I'm dead…" Anya felt a lump catch in her throat and she suddenly felt a wave of emotion she's been pushing down come up. Scar's eyes softened and she put a strong hand on her shoulder.

"I know it's hard," she whispered. "You've been dealt a heavy blow, and it's going to take a long time to recover. But staying hidden and safe is the only way that you'll be able to search for your family." Anya sighed and shook her head as she sat down at the bar stool; Scar sat next to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know what you've been up to every night…stealing with those two other kids…," she started. Anya wasn't surprised. Scar was a pretty crafty person…The young woman just shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I saw how bad it is in the city…when we were leaving Ba Sing Se I saw a lot of that there, and I couldn't do anything about it. Now I've had a chance to do something about it," she said desperately trying to explain herself. Scar just nodded her head in understanding.

"I know, I know," she muttered in a low voice. "But your earthbending training is complete and Jonny is coming to take you to Ba Sing Se to join the rest of the Rebellion." Anya sat there, letting that sentence sit in. The air was suddenly thick and Anya felt a pit drop in her stomach. Her eyes were wide as she searched Scar desperately, knowing that the truth.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly. Scar gave her a sad smile and nodded her head.

"Congratulations, kid," she said softly. "I have nothing else to teach you, Anya. I've already talked to Jonny and we both agree that it's time you move on to Republic City."

Anya was silent for a moment, crossed between sad and excited. She opened her arms in a large gesture. "I can't just leave my friends and this city," she said desperately. "Omashu needs me…"

Scar shook her head and gave her a sad look. "I thought you wanted to find your family…"

And there it was. In a split second Anya knew that she had to leave, even if it meant abandoning Omashu and her new friends for a little while. The city would stand on its own, especially with Bolt and May looking out for it. Anya nodded her head in acceptance. "When do we leave?" she asked. Scar smiled and stood up to head to bed.

"Tomorrow night," she answered. "Jonny is meeting us at the Great Divide. Get your stuff packed and say good-bye."

With that, she left and shut the door to her room. Sighing, Anya went to her own room and began packing away her few clothes and shoes before going back outside and sneaking back into the city. The streets were dark as she passed the tall skyscrapers and run down shops. The street lamps were on, and they cast creepy shadows as she passed underneath them. She made her way through the different levels of the city and found herself near the Ambassador's palace. She carefully climbed the back of the wall and perched herself onto the roof. She looked out over the dark city, the lights of windows peeking out from the darkness. There was a slight bree?e in the air and Anya couldn't help but smile at the beauty of Omashu. In the two years she had spent in the city she had fallen in love with the lights and sounds. She loved the fact that she was now basically on her own, and she loved helping people. She heard a slight tap noise behind her and she turned around to see Bolt and May standing there. Anya smiled and walked over to them silently, trying to find the words. But it was Bolt who spoke first.

"You're leaving," he stated. Anya looked up at him with wide eyes and then slowly nodded her head.

"We're leaving tomorrow for Republic City," she answered. She shook her head, feeling a large lump form in her throat. "I'm sorry." Bolt shook his head and put his hand up to stop her from continuing.

"You need to find your family, Anya," he responded. He stepped up and pulled Anya into a friendly hug with May stuck in the middle. They stood like that for a full minute before Bolt stepped back.

"I'm sorry," Anya whispered. "I don't want to leave you here by yourselves."

Bolt shook his head and punched her lightly on the arm. "We were doing this long before you got here," he responded not unkindly. "We'll be okay here." May nodded her head silently in agreement. She walked forward and gently gripped Anya's hand in hers. Anya smiled sadly, and together the three of them watched the sun begin to creep into the hori?on.

Anya said her goodbyes to Bolt and May, and she arrived back home in the early hours of the morning with Scar standing there waiting to leave. The satomobile was revved and ready to go. Scar jumped into the driver's seat and Anya looked around at the cabin. The lights were out now and everything was quite in the morning, and Anya couldn't help but feel a little sad at the departure of the city she had called home for 5 years. She sighed as she turned around and got into the satomobile. The vehicle peeled out of the driveway and Anya found herself heading towards the great Republic City.

_**Liu's POV, Republic City**_

"You have to go, Liu."

"I would rather not, Ryuu."

"You're the only one who's even remotely related to the Swamp Tribe. You're the only one they've worked with and were willing to give supplies, Liu."

"I think somebody else should give it a shot, Ryuu."

"We need you to do this. You don't have a choice, Liu."

"Bite me, Ryuu."

The two earthbenders had been stuck in this conversation loop for over an hour, and Liu was on her breaking point. She knew that she was the only person the Swamp Tribe would communicate with, but she hated going to that place. Liu was distantly related to them on her mother's side, however, every time she went they would forget that she's not a waterbender, but an earthbender, and she would have to explain herself all over again. She had spent her whole childhood there, getting to know the plants and wildlife, but every time she went back she felt as if a piece of her stayed there. Despite Bishop's attempts at eradicating the world of spiritual energy, the forest still remained as a landmark for the Spirits. When she was a girl she had loved running among the spirits, conversing and getting to know them, however she soon discovered that not all spirits are the kindest of creatures. Liu wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of going back. But right now the Rebellion was facing a pretty dry season and they were in desperate need of medical herbs that are only found in the swamp. So, Ryuu was right; Scar really didn't have a choice. With a sigh she consented with this face.

"Alright, I'll go," she stated with a huff. Ryuu gave her a smile and told her to be at the warehouse the next day in the morning because Corey was giving her a ride in the smaller airplane. With her new mission now planted, Liu went home already feeling exhausted for her journey the next day.

_**Dev's POV, Republic City**_

He was in the dojo, training, when Ryuu interrupted him with some good news. "You've got a mission, kid," he stated solemnly. Dev held down his grin and nodded for the Commander to continue. Clearing his throat Ryuu pulled out a piece of paper and read it off: "Jonny is still away on his mission, but he says that you are to sneak into the Agni Kai's and find out what the Triad are planning." Dev felt his mouth fall open as he processed this information. He had left the gang in a bad way, burning most of his bridges. How was Jonny expecting him to do this? He looked up at Ryuu with a helpless expression. Ryuu's face turned down in apology as he folded the note back up.

"I know it's a lot, kid," he stated. "But lately we've been hearing a lot of rumors on the streets about something going down between the gangs and Bishop. Obviously Jonny's worried or he wouldn't ask this of you." Dev clenched his jaw as he realized that he really didn't have a choice. He had to do this mission for the Rebellion. So, with a sigh he bowed his head in agreement. The Commander clapped him on his shoulder for a moment before informing him that he could leave as soon as he felt ready. He left the young earthbender to his thoughts in the now-quiet dojo. Many things ran through his head as he thought of his work back then and how he's changed over the time he spent with the Rebellion...and now he was going back. What if that life pushed him back to being bad? What was he going to tell Lena? This thought superceded all other concerns. Lena was the one who hated the fact that he was from a gang. She was the one who had morphed him into what he was today. What would she do if she found out he was going back? With a sigh, Dev rubbed his eyes before grabbing his bags and walked out of the training center. He found himself wandering the streets of the Underground until, spotting the healing tent a few paces away, he quickly made his way over and pushed past the flap to step straight into a large cloth circle with a few tables set up and a large, sparkling pool of water sitting at the end. David was sitting in the pool of water, his eyes closed in an unspoken relief and he let the warm water flood over him. Dakari was standing over him, her hands outstretched as she moved the water over him, her hands glowing with healing power. She smiled as Dev walked in and stopped the healing process. The firebender soaking in the water gave her an irritated look, to which she raised her eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that!" she exclaimed, waving her hands wildly. "It was a simple charlie horse! It's not like you got your leg chopped off!" She shook her head before walking over to Dev with a wide grin on her face. Dakari was the head healer in the Underground, but her origins were pretty strange and unknown. Despite her beautiful natural looks, she was a bit of a strange cookie. However, she was nice to Dev whenever he came by, so he was never really repelled by her presence.

"Hey, I bet you're here for Lena, aren't you?" she asked with a teasing smile. Dev felt himself blush a little but forced down a swallow.

"Uh, yeah...is she here?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Dakari smiled and gestured towards the back of the tent where there was another room filled with herbs and medicine. Dev thanked her before pushing past the second curtain and coming upon a large, cloth room filled with different healing herbs and treatments. The room smelled strange, but oddly satisfying. The young earthbender looked around the large shelves to see the beautiful Lena standing there, her long hair tied back in a ponytail and her back hunched over a table, dealing out small pills. She looked up as she heard the door swing open and turned to see Dev standing there. He felt his heart skip a beat as she smiled at him, her eyes wide with happiness.

"Hey stranger," she teased, walking over to him. Dev cleared his throat a little.

"Hey, sorry I haven't been to see you in a while," he stated. The past few days he had been working hard at the dojo, training to get another mission. She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"I just thought Jonny put you on another mission," she said, her eyes shining. Dev felt himself blush as he cleared his throat once again. He remembered the day he had first seen the beautiful waterbender...Dev smiled just thinking about that time in his life.

He smiled, thinking about the day they met. He had just joined the rebellion and was still learning the ropes. _At the time he had just gotten out of the Agni Kai gang, and his attitude was still fully engaged. Jonny had found him lying on the street with his belly bleeding after a long sought-out battle between his gang and their rivals the Red Monsoons. He had taken a blow from a large dark-skinned man with an eye-patch. Jonny had found him and had dragged him down to the sewers where Jack, the doctor, fixed him up. When he came around the Captain was waiting for him in a chair, looking calm and wise._

_"Where the hell am I?" he had demanded angrily, sitting up quickly. Jonny had raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest._

_"I found you dying in the street," he had said, his voice dark and mysterious. "Welcome to the rebellion, kid."_

_Dev remembered being angry and hostile to the old firebender. He had stood up and was about to pull out his ivy when Jonny grabbed his arm and forced him back onto the bed. "Hold it. You're not well enough to be walking around. You suffered a pretty deep knife wound." Dev had struggled a bit, but he was too weak to fight off the rebellion Captain. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and sat there looking like a ten-year old having a tantrum._

_"So this is the rebellion?" he had asked, looking unimpressed. Jonny had merely smiled and chuckled knowingly._

_"Just part of it," he answered stoically. Just then the door had opened and in walked Lena. She was wearing a doctor's apron and holding a small basin of water. Dev raised an eyebrow, checking the young waterbender out a little. Jonny had stood up and gave Lena a gentle squee?e on the shoulder._

_"Delinquent, this is one of our healers. Lena, meet the delinquent," he had said with a soft smile. Dev had given him a bad look._

_"It's Dev," he had retorted with a mean look. Jonny had merely smiled and left Dev alone with Lena. She ignored his stare and placed the water basin on the side board. She had then bended some water around her hands, and they had begun to glow. Turning to him, she had looked upon him with a very cold expression._

_"Lift up your shirt please," she had stated, her voice hard. At this point in his life, Dev had been a snarky arrogant bastard who got with any girl he had wanted. And this rebel girl had looked pretty good in his eyes…He had given her a smirk and carefully undressed his torso. His wound had been sown up, and he was now being healed by this beautiful waterbender. She had placed her hands delicately on his wound, and in the next second he had suddenly felt a wave of relief. After a few more moments of that, she let go and dumped the water back into the basin._

_"Well, aren't you gonna kiss it all better?" he had asked. In one turn Lena had whipped around and struck him with a sharp water whip move. He flinched and held his cheek that was now bleeding slightly, Lena's face contorted in frustration and anger._

_"I don't care who you are or what you've done," she had said angrily. "But the rebellion means something to me…it means a lot to a lot of people." And with that she had stormed out of the room in a huff of anger. Later that day Dev had enrolled in the rebellion._

So after a few months of playing it cool and being a good guy, Dev had finally won Lena's trust and friendship. Now, they were coming close to being something...more. He cleared his throat, aware of the seconds that ticked by. He cleared his throat once more before making a daring move by taking Lena's hands in his. She looked up at him with, wide, blue eyes. Dev was careful whenever he touched Lena. He was afraid she would reject his advances and push him away. So, he treated her like a timid antalope-deer, weary of scaring her away. But right now he was just afraid of how she was going to react to his news. He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet a little.

"Well, I did just get a mission from Jonny...," he started. She urged him on with wide eyes, so he continued. "I have to sneak back into the Agni Kai's and find out what's going on between the gangs. It might take me awhile, so I don't know when I'll be back." Lena's expression dropped immediately as she ga?ed at the young earthbender. There was a tense moment of silence as the two stared at each other, each one wanting to say something. Finally, Lena sighed and pushed back her hair, her eyes watering slightly.

"Do you have to go?" she whispered. Dev nodded his head silently. As much as he wanted to stay and be with Lena, he knew that he had to go figure out what's going on with the gangs. She saw him nod his head which made her bite her lip, forcing herself to remain calm. She sniffed a little before nodding her head in acceptance.

"Then I guess this is it," she whispered softly. Dev nodded his head once again, completely lost for words. He looked at his feet, but when he looked up again Lena was standing a bit closer. Suddenly, she flew forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Dev's middle. The young earthbender stood there, shocked at the sudden contact. He tenderly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. They stood like that for a few moments, enjoying the physical contact. Finally, Dev slowly let go and ga?ed at the young healer with a newfound determination. Now that he knew Lena was okay, he was determined to get done with the mission and get back home. Giving the waterbender one last smile, he promised he would be back before too long.

_**Anya's POV, Divide City**_

Back many years ago, the Great Divide had been nothing more than a large canyon that was placed after the treacherous Serpant's Pass. However, Avatar Korra and her friends had transformed the dangerous pass into a safe highway that went straight through the Divide City. Right now, they were a few miles away, but Scar was already stopping the car near the edge of a canyon on the outskirts of the earth city. Trees shrouded the area, it looked like the last green area before the redness of the Divide. Anya raised an eyebrow as Scar jumped out and began to walk through the trees without any explanation. The young woman followed the muscular earthbender without hesitation. "I thought we were going into the city," she voice out loud. Scar cut through the underbrush without looking back.

"The rebellion isn't exactly welcome in a lot of cities, kid," she responded knowingly. Just then, the two of them broke through the trees and made it into a large clearing where there sat a large warehouse shrouded by trees and underbrush. Scar and Anya made their way to the building where Scar typed in a passcode for the door and the large side opened with a whooshing sound. The large door revealed a small plane, two satomobiles, a four-wheeler, and some spare equipment in the back. Scar flipped on some lights and began digging around. Anya walked around slowly and examined everything. Just as she was walking around the building, surveying the area, she heard a twig snap behind her. She spun around, her hands up defensively, however, a familiar face peaked out from the bushes. A sense of relief flooded Anya's stomach as she lowered her hands.

"Jonny?!" she exclaimed in relief. Jonny smiled peevishly and pushed out of the trees.

"How's it going, kid?" he asked with a smile. Anya sighed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "You scared me half to death!" she responded in mock anger. Jonny chuckled and gave her a light hug.

"It's been a while," he admitted. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and together they began walking towards the warehouse. "How have you been, Anya?" The young woman shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, thinking back on the last 5 months and what had gone on.

"I'm just ready to get to Republic City so that we can start tracking down the men who took my family," she stated, already feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She looked up at Jonny to see him hesitate, his face suddenly going stone still. She stopped in her tracks and looked him straight in the eye. "What?" she demanded, feeling a pit drop in her stomach. Jonny sighed and pushed a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Little Bird, but when we get to the city we-" just then there was another twig snap from behind and the two of them turned around to hear a loud shout come from the bushes. Just then, Anya could feel and hear several people shouting and running towards the two of them. She looked around to see that they were surrounded by 7 soldiers wearing black uniforms and masks. Jonny faced off on one side with Anya right at his back. Her hands were raised defensively as she narrowed her eyes at the attackers. Just then, two of the men ran forward to attack. Anya dodged the first swipe and came back with a punch into the gut. The man crumpled and the young woman swung over his bent back and kicked up her foot which forced a large pillar of rock to burst from the ground and hit the second man square in the chest. She turned around to see Jonny surrounded by five masked men. She quickly ran over just as Jonny did a major firebending move by creating a firewheel and letting it spin around them all. Anya kicked one of the men down to the ground, but didn't turn in time to see the fire coming straight towards her.

"Anya, watch out!" Jonny shouted. The young earthbender turned, her face lighting up from the bla?e of the fire and had just enough time to put her arms up in front of her face. She felt the heat of the fire, but it didn't hurt, or burn, her. Instead, she watched as the flames merely cascaded around her arms and past her body. She watched in wonder as the fire disappeared before her eyes as she lowered her arms. Anya couldn't help but stand there in shock as Jonny finished off the last of the men and tied them up. He walked over, a strange look spread across his face. Anya just stood there, her mouth open.

"Did…I just…make the fire disappear?" she asked softly. Jonny gripped her shoulders and tried to look in her eyes. "How…how is that possible?"

"Anya, listen to me-" Jonny started, but Anya looked up into his eyes, and in that second she knew. She finally understood why Jonny had saved her from the attackers at the palace, and why he had kept her hidden away all of these years in hard training. The reason why she wasn't burned was because she had bended the fire away from her body. She was a firebender…and an earthbender…suddenly, she felt like her whole world had fallen before her eyes, and she was suddenly suspended in space. Everything was collapsing around her, including any hope in finding her family. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at her old body guard.

"How long have you known?" she whispered in a sad voice. She pulled away from Jonny's grasp.

"Anya, listen to me-"

"How long have you known?" she demanded, her voice louder this time. Jonny sighed and looked at his feet.

"Your father told me 10 years ago when the Council created the bending laws," he answered softly. Anya's eyes opened wide and she stood there, silent as the grave, tears still spilling from her eyes. She stepped forward dangerously.

"You've known for 10 years…you AND my father…and nobody told me!" She held her face in her hands, this statement resonating with her. Jonny gripped her shoulders and squee?ed them tightly.

"Your father didn't want the fact getting out," he tried explaining. "If anyone had known, you could've been taken and thrown in prison, or worse."

"No, it was better to wait until people showed up at the palace and captured my family!" she retorted angrily. She sighed, her emotions ebbing away into acceptance. She looked up at Jonny, her eyes still watering slightly.

"So…this is real…," she whispered. Jonny smiled sadly and nodded his head.

"You're the Avatar," Jonny finished. They stood there together in silence while Anya processed this new information.

"Are you sure?" she asked desperately. "Maybe it's a mistake…"

"You're the Avatar," he confirmed. Anya closed her eyes tightly and hung her head for a moment before looking up at Jonny with big eyes.

"You're not taking me to Republic City to help me look for my family, are you?"

Jonny shook his head and let go of Anya's shoulders. "We'll find your family Anya," he responded. "But it's going to take some time. Right now we just need to get back to Republic City and get everything sorted."

Anya just shook her head in disbelief. "I'm the Avatar…," she whispered in complete shock. Jonny smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

"You're the Avatar. And pretty soon I'll be starting your firebending training."

"Have you told anyone else?" she asked, concern flitting across her face.

Jonny shook his head and pulled out his radio. "No, and we're going to keep it quiet. I don't want anyone in the rebellion to know just yet; not until you've had some more training in different forms of bending." Anya raised an eyebrow at this.

"You don't trust your own people?" she asked. Jonny smiled and shook his head.

"I just don't want it getting out just yet," he responded. He flipped on his radio and waited through a moment of silence. Finally, a voice responded:

"Yo, brother, how's the Great Divide?" the voice was a husky, low, mail tone with a edge of smoothness and relaxation.

"Racked with Equalists," Jonny answered. The man from the radio gave a low whistle.

"That's sucks, brother," the man responded. Jonny rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Well we're fine, but I would feel more comfortable if you could send some extras our way," he said in a very commanding voice. Anya raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't question him as there was a moment of silence from the other end of the radio. Finally, the voice was back on.

"It looks like Micah, Kay, and Vikon are actually stationed in Divide City right now, so they'll be able to get to you in a few minutes," the voice answered.

"Is the pylon fixed?" Jonny asked.

"Yep, it's all good to go. I'll let Micah know that you require some assistance. They should be there in an hour."

"Alright, thanks Cid. Over-and-out." Jonny clicked the radio off and turned to his young protégé.

"I've got some friends coming, so we should be good to go in a few hours," he stated. Anya just nodded her head silently and looked around the area. This was going to be her life now. She couldn't fight it anymore…she was officially an illegal bender, and worse, she was basically now the poster child for everything bending-the Avatar. She pushed her hand through her hair in an exhausted manner and crossed her arms over her chest.

"So, what happens now?" she asked with a sigh. Jonny smiled and nodded towards the warehouse.

"We'll go back to Scar and get some supplies before the others get here," he answered. He then wrapped an arm around Anya's shoulders and together they walked back to the warehouse. While they walked through the underbrush, Anya looked up at Jonny with a sudden determined expression.

"I'm not letting my family go, Jonny," she said sternly, her eyes burning. "I don't care if I have to look for them myself, I WILL find them." Jonny noted the seriousness of her ga?e and nodded his head in confirmation.

"Don't worry, after a little more training we'll be able to find them soon."

_**Liu's POV, The Swamp**_

It merely took her and Corey three days to get to the swamp via small plane. Corey put the plane down a few leagues outside of the criss-crossing trees, the depths sinking into darkness. He whistled under his breath as Liu stood in front of the forest. "I hate going in there," he murmured, giving Liu a small wink. Liu sighed and ga?ed deep into the branches. She hated going in there too. Hiking the pack up onto her shoulders, she turned and gave Corey a small wave.

"I'll see you in a few weeks!" she called. Corey saluted her as she walked straight into the trees. As she got through the underbrush, she heard the sound of the plane taking off and she watched it leave, disappearing over the tree canopy. With a sigh, Liu looked forward and began climbing over the large tree roots. She made her way through the swamp, using her compass as guidance. The trees were thick around her, and every time a twig snapped she would immediately feel as if eyes were watching her and turn to see nothing there. She moved quickly and decisively, swinging through the branches and vines. After walking, for what seemed like hours, she stopped to get a bite to eat. Just as she was sitting down to the food, she heard a twig snapped. She immediately jumped up to her feet and turned around to see a familiar figure stepping out from the bushes. Liu's jaw dropped as she ga?ed upon a glowing stranger with flowing dark hair and big grey eyes. The girl was obviously a lot younger than her, but for some reason Liu felt that she was full of wisedom. She stood there staring down the earthbender with her grey eyes and flowing hair. Liu didn't recogni?e the girl, but there was something familiar about her...

"Everything's about to change," she stated clearly, her voice echoing slightly. "You need to be ready." Liu squinted her eyes at the young woman and noticed how she glowed unnaturally. She wasn't real. Shaking her head, Liu cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"Who are you?" she voiced, finally getting over the initial shock. The girl's eyes twinkled as she refused to answer, her mouth turning upwards in a teasing grin.

"Everything's about to change," she repeated. "You need to be ready." Liu looked at the girl desperately, noticing how she was beginning to disappear around her edges.

"Wait!" she shouted desperately. "I don't know what that means! Who are you?!" The girl gave Liu one last smirk before disappearing into the bushes. Without hesitating, the earthbender sprinted after the disappearing girl, pushing past leaves and branches. The leaves whipped past her face, scratching her cheeks slightly. She continued to run through the trees, tripping over branches. Until finally she came upon a large swampy pound area surrounded by willows and vines. The girl was standing in the middle of the clearing, her back turned to the earthbender. Feeling a strange pull towards the girl, Liu sprinted towards her just to see the girl disappear and in her place a skinny man without a shirt. He turned as Liu called out, and he immediately jerked up his arm, a wave of water slicing defensively between him and Liu. The earthbender skidded to a halt, splashing water everywhere as she responded by jerking her arm up and out come a defensive slide of rock from the ground. The sudden bending cause Liu to lose her balance and fall onto her butt in the swamp water. She groaned as a voice echoed:

"Well, howdy cous'!"

She looked up to see a familiar face staring down at her with wide eyes. Sighing, Liu helped herself up and attempted to clean the swamp off her front, but to no avail. The man who had suddenly appeared out of the clearing was skinny and wild-looking, his dark hair splayed out in strange spikes around his head. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but a wrap covered his bottom half along with tall, snakeskin boots. His smile was dopey as he gazed upon his long-lost, extremely distant, relative. "How're you doing, Jo?" she asked him, eyeing the swamp dirt covering his...everything...He shrugged his shoulders and gestured towards the trees behind him.

"I was out looking for some possum-chicken for supper when I was tackled by you," he stated. He raised an eyebrow in a confused manner. "Why were you runnin'?" Liu sighed as she looked around her, feeling like the girl was still there. A shiver tingled down her spine, but she shook it off.

"I thought I saw somebody...," she muttered to herself. Jo raised his eyebrow, but he let it go with another nonchalant shrug. He took a hold of his cousin's arm and tugged her towards the back of the clearing.

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now," he said cheerfully. "C'mon, the rest of our kin is waiting for us back at the camp ground." Liu let the skinny swamp man drag her back into the trees out of the clearing, but as the vines covered her vision, she swore that she saw the girl still standing there.

_**Dev's POV, Republic City**_

He was standing on the docks, a dark handkerchief covered half of his face while a hood covered the rest. The moon shone overhead, lighting their dark path around the loading bay. Two other people were sneaking around with him, the footsteps silent next to his. The group came upon a large storage unit, number 238, and quietly readied themselves. A ways away some guards were patroling the area, but they didn't realize that at the moment three people were already making their way into one of the units. The two others stood on the side of the unit while the earthbender readied himself in front. They nodded towards the boy, and in one swift motion he jerked his arm upward and the ground underneath the unit burst, throwing it high into the air. It flew a few feet before hitting the ground in a metallic crunch, the door now busted open.

"C'mon let's move!" hissed the man on the right. The crash had echoed around the bay and in the distance Dev could see the flashlights of the guards moving hurridly towards them. Dev was quick on his feet as he raided the unit and came out with an armful of equipment. The other two ran in front of him, dodging the lights as they filtered in through the passages between units. Just as they were reaching the edge of the docks a light shined on them as a guard stepped in their path.

"Halt!" he called officially, his face shadowed by the clash of light and darkness. The three slid into stops in front of the man. Dev watched as one of his companions pulled out a large knife from his belt and lit in on fire with his bending. The guard stepped back in surprise but did not back down. The firebender's eyes were cruel as he suddenly rushed forward and made a swipe with the fire knife. The guard dodged, but hit the unit on the right pretty hard, making him slide to the ground. The firebender advanced menacingly, pulling out his knife and raising it above his head. Just as he was about to bring it swinging down upon the guard, Dev stepped up and grabbed his arm, holding it in place. The firebender whipped around angrily, his eyes blazing into Dev's.

"Let's just get out of here," Dev said clearly. The firebender stared menacingly at the boy for a minute before stepping back and sheathing his weapon. The gangsters ran as fast as they could, rushing past the units and back into the city. Sirens were going off around them, but they managed to dodge the police by hiding out in darkened alleys and sticking to the rooftops. At the break of dawn they finally came upon their hideout in the bad part of the city. The stopped outside a small, run-down casino building and knocked twice on the door. The eye slot opened just as the door itself swung open to reveal a smokey room with seedy characters milling about. Illegal liquor sat for anyone to see on open tables, along with illegal gambling surrounded by people from all walks of life. Even though the Council had made such things illegal a few years ago, it was still strong in the city. Dev pulled off his handkerchief and hood and followed the other two to the back of the building where even worse illegal things happened. The small group entered into a small door where a guard stood watching them carefully. Upon entering, Dev was greeted by the stench of cigars and alcohol. Sitting behind a desk with a rotund man with a large scar over one eye and multiple rings decorated his fingers. He gestured for the three to walk forward and deposite their stolen goods on his desk. Each one did so, silently, and without making eye contact. Dev was last, and he merely glanced up at the mobster before staring at his feet. The three stood in a line in front of the desk, each one looking down respectfully. Finally the Don spoke:

"Good work getting these to me, boys," he said, his voice deep and slow. His eyes were bright as he surveyed them all standing there. Folding his hands together and gestured for the other two to leave. "Dev, stay here," he commanded, stopping the boy from going. The firebender glared at Dev as he brushed past; he wouldn't forget that Dev had stopped him from slaying the guard. Dev stood in front of the Don's desk alone, the guard behind him blocking the exit.

"You've gotten back into the swing of things pretty well, I see," he stated, his eyes shining knowingly. Dev looked at the Don and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's like being back home," he said, clearing his throat. The Don smiled at this and slowly stood up. He walked out in front of his desk and stood a few feet away from the earthbender.

"I know that you lost your way with the Rebellion, but I hope that you now know where your allegiance lies..."

Dev didn't even blink. He didn't even stutter, but just bowed respectfully. "Of course, Don," he said loyally. He looked up and stared into the mobster's eyes, refusing to look away or blink. He would not betray his secret. "It's good to be back with my family." The Don stared at the earthbender for a moment of contemplative silence. Finally he smiled and chuckled lightly as he clapped the earthbender on the shoulder.

"This is where you belong...my dear nephew..."

_**Anya's POV, Republic City – The Underground**_

She could see the large city in the distance. It was surrounded by mountains and lush green grass. The tall skyscrapers towered over her, even from this far distance, and for a second Anya couldn't help but feel slightly at home. While it was missing Ba Sing Se's large walls, it was similar to the fact that it held thousands of people and was filled with shops and businesses. They didn't enter the city, and instead found themselves tucked away in the mountains next to a large warehouse that was just like the one in Divide City. They stopped to find that there was already somebody rooting through the planes and equipment in the building. As soon as the satomobile stopped Micah jumped out of the car and rushed over to the man bent over the engine of the plane.

"Cid!" he shouted. The stark-blonde haired man turned around and peered at the group of them, goggles hung over his face and there was a slight grease mark streaked across his cheek. He flicked his nose and gave a toothey grin at the group.

"Well I was wondering when you would get back to the city," he said, his voice rough and low. Anya immediately recogni?ed it as the voice from the radio. The one called Cid grabbed Micah and put him in a friendly choke hold, and Anya could immediately see the similarities between their goofy grins and stark-blonde hair; they were brothers. Jonny walked over to them with a smile on his face, and Anya watched (slightly confused) as Cid made a small, respectful, bow.

"General," he said. Anya raised an eyebrow at this, but remained silent. Jonny bowed back and gestured towards the plane that he had just been working on.

"How's she looking?" he asked. Cid shrugged his shoulders and rubbed his cheek still covered in grease.

"So far so good," he responded, patting it lovingly. "I think she just needed some fine tuning on the oil rig." Jonny nodded his head in approval and Cid peered around him until his ga?e fell on Anya. He raised an eyebrow, but his stare wasn't unkind.

"You must be the new girl," he said. Anya blushed slightly, but stepped forward and met his eyes.

"I'm Anya," she confirmed. He gave her the up-down look, but said nothing. Instead, he addressed Jonny.

"You better hurry up and get Underground," he warned the firebender. "You've got some people waiting for you to talk about what's been happening since your absence." Jonny nodded his head grimly and ushered everyone back into the car, leaving Cid at the warehouse with his plane. The rest of the group climbed back into the car and sped quickly away from the warehouse. Anya raised an eyebrow, feeling a little confused.

"So…how do we get into this..Underground?" she asked Micah. The blonde boy smiled and pointed downwards.

"It's a complex sewer system with hundreds of tunnels and entry ways throughout the city," he answered. A few minutes they were out of the mountain area and came upon a small clearing full of rough brush and wild flowers. Jonny stopped the car suddenly and everyone jumped out, Anya followed suit albeit hesitantly. A small shed was hiding under some trees in which Scar and Jonny stashed the satomobile. Meanwhile, Kay walked over to a random manhole and picked up the cover revealing a dirty ladder leading into darkness. With a wink at Anya, Kay jumped down into the darkness, followed by Scar and Micah. Before Anya could follow, Jonny pulled her aside and gave her a knowing look.

"I know you firebended back there when the enforcers attacked," he stated. Anya sighed and shuffled her feet nervously.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Before it didn't even seem to be real, but ever since I protected myself against your firewheel, I haven't been able to stop it; or control it." Jonny nodded his head and squee?ed her shoulders sympathetically.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "I'll start your training as soon as possible." Anya nodded her head and then followed Jonny down into the sewers. The tunnels were dark as they walked through them, only Jonny holding up a ball of fire lit their path. Soon, however, lanterns began appearing, and as they went further into the system of tunnels, Anya found herself seeing more and more lights up ahead. Just when she was about to ask Jonny when they were going to get there, they stopped at the end of the path and found themselves at the edge of an underground shanty city. Anya stood there with her mouth hanging open in wonder. There were two levels with walkboards and actual buildings. Anya could see food stands nearby and people walking past as if this was just a normal, casual, day. Jonny lead them all through the makeshift streets and to the entrance of the large building at the opposite end of the makeshift city. Jonny opened the flap door to reveal a large committee room with a large oak table and a do?en maps with special markets. Three people were at the end of the table: two women-dressed in formal-looking robes, and the other a strange leafy green get-up-and one man wearing a metal uniform. They all turned as Jonny entered and bowed respectfully. Micah tapped Jonny on the shoulder and gave him a guilty look.

"Hey, I have to get back to the Control Box," he said nervously. "Tasha might need my help since Cid's working on the planes." Jonny nodded his head in approval and waved a dismissal. Before leaving Micah stopped and gave Anya an awkward wave good-bye.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again…," he mumbled. Anya gave him a genuine smile and nodded her head as the blonde boy ran out of the room. She then faced the rest of them. Scar excused herself, saying that she was too tired. She gave Anya a friendly squee?e before exiting the building. Kay followed suit, saying that she had 'carted around children enough for one day' and left in a flurry of red and black. That left Anya alone with Jonny and the three strangers with hardened ga?es. Jonny cleared his throat and beckoned the young woman forward.

"Anya, these are two of my Commanders-Liu and Jinora-and this is my Major, Ryuu."

Anya smiled bashfully and gave them all a respectful bow. "Hello," she fumbled. They were all looking at her with great interest, making her shift her feet uncomfortably. Ryuu raised an eyebrow.

"So, you're the Earth King's daughter, huh?" he asked. Anya merely nodded her head, feeling a prickly emotion at the sound of her father being used in a negative connotation. Ryuu smiled and nudged Jonny lightly on the arm. "Jonny here has been telling us what a great earthbender you are," he said cheerfully. "We're glad to have you here on board with the cause." Anya smiled. Jinora, the one with the airbending tattoos gave the young woman a very kind, and gentle, look.

"It's very nice to meet you, Anya," she said, her voice sounding flighty and peaceful. "I'm so sorry about your family…I'm sure you'll find them." Jinora seemed genuinely sad about this, and Anya felt grateful towards the airbender. Just then the double doors burst open and in walked a muscular, dark-skinned, waterbender woman.

"Ah, and there's our final commander!" Jonny said. "Anya, this is Commander Makki."

Anya was looking thoughtful at the middle-aged waterbender. For some reason she seemed so familiar…those bright blue eyes…that determined expression…suddenly a wave of memories and emotion washed through the young Avatar. Suddenly she was playing with a baby girl in the backyard, watching her first learn how to waterbend, laughing at the cute clumsiness of the child. Anya was suddenly pulled back to reality.

"You're Avatar Korra's daughter…," she whispered. Makki folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I know you?" she asked boldly. Anya suddenly felt a rush of panic wash through her; no one was supposed to know that she is the Avatar…gulping she shrugged her shoulders and gave the waterbending woman and innocent smile. Jonny looked at Anya knowingly and cleared his throat.

"Makki, this is Anya," he introduced. "She's the Earth King's daughter." Makki nodded her head, suddenly interested in the young woman.

"Oh that's right," she said. "Jonny said you were a skilled earthbender." Anya shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, trying not to scream to the world that she was the Avatar…and in a way connected to Makki. However, the look on Jonny's face told her to stay silent. Jonny cleared his throat and garnered everyone's attention.

"Anya has been training with Scar and is now officially a Master earthbender," he announced, a slight amount of pride in his voice. Everyone remained silent, however, there was a shift in attitude in the room. Suddenly, Anya was more interesting and dangerous then what she had previously appeared. She shuffled her feet nervously and cleared her throat. "Anya, I need to talk with the other officials here," Jonny stated. "I've made arrangements for you to stay with Jinora and her daughter Leah." Anya raised an eyebrow at this, glancing at the master airbender who was looking at her with serenity and peacefulness.

"How come I'm not staying with Scar?" she asked looking at the ext where Scar had disappeared minutes ago.

"She lives in a one bedroom apartment," Jonny answered with a smile. "Besides, you've lived with her long enough. Jinora has agreed to give you a bed and three meals a day." Anya smiled at the airbender and bowed her head in gratitude. Jinora smiled and just then the entrance door flew open with ashort blast of wind. Standing in the doorway was a young woman wearing an airbender getup and slight attitude on her face. Jinora gestured to the young girl who walked forward and eyed Anya up and down with cheerfulness.

"Anya, this is my daughter Leah. Leah, darling, can you show Anya the way to her new home please," Jinora said with an airy voice. Just then, Anya jerked back as her mind flashed back to a faint memory-like dream. She was laughing with a young airbender girl on Airbender Island. The girl had two buns in her hair and was talking at the speed of light.

"Jinora, slow down! I can barely understand what you're saying!" she exclaimed cheerfully. However, it wasn't Anya's voice. Her voice was suddenly slightly deeper, and when she glanced down she reali?ed that she wasn't looking at her own body; this one was hardened with muscle and darker in skin tone. The young girl giggled at Anya, her eyes beautifully rounded and grey as she jumped up and down excited. Anya felt herself be ripped back into her own body from the dream-like state. She shook her head and looked up to see everyone staring at her curiously. Jonny was the only one who looked like he understood what just happened.

"You're Aang's granddaughter," she said, looking up at Jinora with wonder in her eyes. "And you were friends with Korra…" Jinora raised an eyebrow at this and looked down at the young woman with curiousity and interest.

"Yes…," she murmured. "How did you know that?"

Jonny suddenly cleared his throat and gestured towards the door. "Leah, why don't you go show Anya around the Underground? She could use something to eat," he said hastily. The young airbender smiled and nodded her head. Jonny gave Anya a meaningful look. "I'll see you later, Little Bird." Anya nodded her head solemnly and then followed the young airbender out of the conference room.

_**Liu's POV, The Swamp**_

She was led back to the large campground of the Swamp People by her distant relation. Fires were scattered around the trees, marking where the houses and cabins were while gators and other assorted critters walked about nonchalantly, barely noticing the humans among them. Jo led her through the small village; people smiled toothey grins as she passed, getting back to their usual dinner of grubs and bugs. Liu shivered a little before following her cousin into a large cabin with a large green tarp sewn with a large symbol to distinguish it from the other huts. The door swung open and she was greeted with a strong scent of herbs and spices. A crafted stone firepit sat in the middle of the room with pillows surrounding it. On one of the pillows was a man who sat extremely still and rigid, white hair sat in spikes on his head while a large scar covered his left eye. At the two approaching people he looked up and stopped his meditation. With a smile that broke apart his sever looking fascade, he quickly stood up and brought Liu into a bear-tight hug. "The earthbending relative is back!" he shouted excitedly. Liu winced a little at the strength of his arms, but patted him on the back anyway. He took a step back and gestured towards the cushions where they both took a seat. Jo excused himself and left the two alone.

"It's good to see you again, Luther," Liu said kindly. The Swamp Chief smiled and nodded his head.

"I knew you would be visiting us soon, dear cousin," he said, his voice low. "I saw an image of you in the flames a few days ago, and I just knew you would be here soon."

"I saw something while I was looking for your camp," Liu admitted, trying to think about the girl that she saw. The old man's eyes twinkled and he nodded for her to continue. "It was a girl I'd never met before with long dark hair and grey eyes. She kept saying 'everything is going to change'. What does it mean?" The Chief pulled out a bowl of old bones and ceremoniously threw one into the fire. It cracked a little, and he hummed in thought. The smoke from the fire rose to the ceiling, filling the cabin with hot air and ash. Finally, it calmed and the Chief closed his eyes.

"The swamp is filled with a deeper magic then any of us could understand," he stated, his voice in a bare whisper. "You say you've never met this girl. Then that means you will meet her eventually. And when you meet her, she will bring about an incredibly chance in your life that will set the course of the world onto a different path." Liu stared into the fire, the girl's face dancing before her eyes. Could it really be true? Who was this girl? And why is she so important to Liu? Shaking her head, Liu pushed that thought into the back of her mind and sat up straight on her cushion.

"Putting that...magic...aside, I have a request from the Rebellion for you." She pulled out a envelope from Jonny and slid it over to the Chief. Luther quietly opened it and read it slowly before throwing it into the fire.

"It would seem the Rebellion needs more medicine and herbs...," he said, trailing off ambiguously. Liu bit her bottom lip. She hated asking people for money and help, but the Rebellion was in desperate need of supplies. So, she bowed her head respectfully.

"Please, Chief," she begged humbly. "Bishop will do anything to take the Swamp. The Rebellion is in desperate need of supplies in order to take him down. Will you help us again?" The Chief sat there in silence before finally smiling and nodding his head.

"For you, dear cousin, anything."

_**Dev's POV, Republic City**_

"I know you're not who you say you are."

Dev looked up from his lunch to stare into the eyes of the firebender from the shipping yard. His fists were clenched as he towered over the earthbender. Dev rolled his eyes and swallowed the last bit of burrito. He ignored the boy, but the jerk was persistent. He leaned in over the table, his golden eyes narrowed dangerously. "I saw you coming out of the sewers," he hissed. Dev raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly.

"I was with the Rebellion before," he answered. "That's nothing new."

"Yes, but I saw you climb out of there last night."

Dev suppressed his shocked expression, instead replacing it with an air of coolness. Last night he had reported back to the Rebellion per Jonny's request, and came back around 4am. "You must be mistaken," he hissed, standing up and grabbing his paper bag lunch. "I was nowhere near the sewers last night." He turned to walk away, however, the man quickly gripped his arm, pulling him back. His eyes lit up in triumph and his smile was viciously cruel.

"I know you're still working with Jonny," he whispered. "And I'm going to tell the Don. And then you're ass is going to be grass." Dev looked straight into the firebender's eyes and clenches his jaw, putting every ounce of menace into his voice.

"You would accuse the Don's own nephew without any proof?" he hissed, refusing to blink. The firebender's smile grew larger, distorting his features terribly.

"Who's to say I don't have proof?" he whispered. He pushed past Dev and shot him a backwards triumphant glance.

"Pretty soon you'll no longer be the Don's golden boy. Enjoy your limbs while you can." And with that he jaunted away. Dev stood there, feeling his stomach suddenly give out to a bottomless pit. Did that gangster really have proof of his traitorous actions? He was the Don's nephew (which is why he got the second chance), but even family had its limits. Swallowing loudly, he shivered once before making his way back to his room to contemplate his next actions.

_**Anya's POV, Republic City – The Underground**_

"And that's the tea shop owned by Carla," Leah announced pointing to the large building in the center of the square. Anya smiled and nodded her head, glad to be getting a tour. Just by looking around, the young Avatar was surprised by how many people were living down here in the sewers. The tiny airbender lead her through the city, pointing out different shops and stores along the way. Soon, they came upon the home area where makeshift houses were built into the walls. Finally, Leah stopped in front of a medium si?ed house with fabric and soft wool for walls and large, open areas. "This is where we live," she said, opening the door to the inside.

The inside was simple, yet beautiful. It had everything that an airbender could want: plates of vegetarian dishes, open spaces, and a meditation corner. It was quaint in its own way. Leah lead her up the stairs into the second room on the right. It was tiny with a small bed and wooden wardrobe. "This will be your room," she announced. She then jumped onto the bed and gave Anya a curious look. "So…you're an earthbender?" she asked skeptically. Anya smiled and nodded her head as she set her pack down on the mattress.

"Yep," she answered simply. Leah hummed to herself, but let the subject drop with a shrug of her shoulders. She bounded down the stairs with a woosh of air rushing behind her, leaving Anya alone with her thoughts. Anya looked out over out the window. She pushed her hair out of her face and felt a certain determination fill her heart. This was the next step in finding her family. And she knew that somehow, someway, she would find them all…

A few hours later she found herself wandering the streets as she waited for Jonny to get out of his meeting. She wasn't an idiot; she knew that they talked about her as soon as she left the conference room, but Anya didn't care. The only thing she cared about was finding her family and making sure they were safe and sound. So, she wandered around the Underground rebellion and found herself on the outskirts. As she turned around the corner, she came upon a small building with large wires and cables running through it. Just as she got a few feet closer there was a loud barking sound and her feet rumbled underneath her as a dark figure got bigger and bigger. The animal rammed right into her, knocking her down onto her butt. She covered her face with her arms as a large, sticky, tongue wiped her cheeks and face.

"Ambrose, down!" shouted a familiar voice. The large horse-dog was pulled off of Anya, and she looked up to see Micah holding out a hand to help her up. She smiled and blushed as he pulled her to her feet. The blonde boy nervous shuffled his feet and hastily pet the large animal.

"Sorry about Ambrose," he mumbled. Anya shrugged her shoulders and gave the horse-dog a friendly pat. Ambrose barked cheerfully and gave her another lick before sitting obediently.

"It's no big deal," Anya answered with a smile and a shrug of her shoulders. She nodded to the building that was lit up with electricity. "What's with the lighthouse?" she asked. Micah ushered her forward excitedly and opened the door. The inside was also filled with wires, but in the middle of the chaos was a large desk topped with radio monitors. Sitting in front of them was a blonde-haired girl wearing a large clanky headset. She turned around in the seat and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Anya.

"This is the Control Box," Micah explained. "It's basically the way the rebellion is able to communicate. We all have radios and walkies that allow us to speak over a long distance. Jonny sends people out on missions around the four nations, and we needed a way to get in contact with each other. Cid takes care of most of the communication waves, but he can't do everything, which is where Tasha and I come in." Anya smiled and bowed to the young blonde woman. She merely raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"That's right," she said sharply. "You're the Earth King's daughter who is supposedly a gifted earthbender." Anya blushed a little, having heard this now a few times. She merely shrugged her shoulders and Micah gave Tasha a nasty look. The young blonde woman rolled her eyes and turned back to her work. Micah lead Anya back outside the building where Ambrose was busy chasing his tail.

"I'm sorry about my cousin," Micah said apologetically. He shuffled his feet nervously and then looked back up at Anya.

"So…you're the Earth King's daughter…," he started.

"Wow, the only thing people seem to want to talk to me about is my father," Anya mumbled. This got her thinking about how people would react if they found out she was the Avatar. Maybe Jonny was right: maybe it was better if she kept her Avatar status on the down low until the whole the-earth king- is- my-father-thing died down a little. Micah immediately shook his head and blushed furiously.

"No! I'm sorry…that was stupid of me to bring up…"

"No, it's okay," Anya said sadly. She held her arms tightly around herself. "It's just…I haven't seen my family since the Equalists took over the Earth Palace two years ago. I've been training with Scar in Omashu since and the only thing I care about now is finding my family…making sure that they're still…alive…"

Micah's look softened and he glanced down at his feet. "My parents were killed by two Equalist soldiers," he stated softly. "Cid's my only family left…if he went missing, I would do everything I could to find him again." Anya smiled, grateful that he sympathy?ed with her. They sat there in a comfortable silence for a moment before there was a shout from behind. Anya turned to see that Jonny was standing there waiting patiently for Anya to be finished speaking to Micah. Micah excused himself and went back into the Control Box as Anya addressed the old firebender. He smiled as she walked over to him.

"I see you're meeting the locals," he stated. Anya nodded her head, and together they began walking back into the Underground.

"What did you talk to those people about?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Jonny shrugged his shoulders and evaded the question.

"Just some tactical things about where to put people around the nations," he answered vaguely. Anya gave him a look, but let the subject be dropped. They walked in silence for a few moments longer, entering the sewer city.

"Nobody seems happy that I'm here," Anya said suddenly. "Maybe it would be best to tell everyone that I'm the Avatar; that THAT was the reason why you saved me…" Jonny stopped in his tracks and looked at Anya very carefully.

"Because you're the Avatar isn't the reason why I saved you," he said suddenly. "I saved you because EVERY life is valuable. And because you were in need of rescuing." Anya smiled in gratitude, thankful that Jonny didn't just see her as a pawn in the war against the Equalists. Jonny's smile slowly turned into a frown, however, and he cleared his throat.

"Look, my Commanders want to see that you are up to speed on your earthbending…they want proof that you know what you're doing," he stated. Anya stepped back at this, feeling a sense of foreboding in the air.

"Why?" she demanded angrily. "I have to prove myself to be in your little rebellion?"

"It's not like that," Jonny insisted. He folded his arms across his chest determinedly. "I ask a lot of people who come into the rebellion to prove themselves first. This way I know that they are committed to the cause and won't get themselves, or anyone else, hurt. My Commanders are just asking that I forgo any favoritism towards you and treat you like anyone else who wants to join." Anya sighed and pushed her long hair out of her face. She knew that Jonny was only being fair. She needed to prove herself just like anybody else. So, she looked up at the wisened firebender and nodded her head solemnly. Jonny smiled and put an arm around her shoulders as he steered her through the city.

"We're going to head towards the training dojo then," he said. "You'll have to face another earthbender. You don't have to win, Little Bird, you just have to hold your own." Anya gulped at the thought as they walked down a set of stairs and straight into a large brick building built in the middle of the city.

_**Liu's POV, The Swamp**_

After they had agree upon an amount of supplies, the Swamp people had thrown her a grand feast in which they performed complicated waterbending formations and showed her how to catch chicken-possum. Afterwards, she slept in an open cabin under the stars. That next morning, Luther helped her pack up a large backpack full of rate medicines and herbs. Hitching it up onto her shoulders, she walked with the Chief to the edge of his territory where he gave her a low bow. "I hope the herbs help," he stated.

"They will. Thank you so much, Chief Luther," she said, bowing graciously. He gave her a smile then gestured towards the trees.

"If you continue to head West, you should get out of the trees in less than a few hourss," he directed. He then walked up and gave her another tight hug before stepping back into the shadows.

"Good luck, dear cousin! Remember, you're always back here!" he called out before vanishing completely. Liu waved good-bye before turning and greeting the swamp. The medcine weighed her down a bit, but she was able to get through a few miles before stopping for a break. The villagers had packed her a few snacks, but most of them were in bug form so Liu just sat and took a long swig from her canteen of water. Liu closed her eyes for a few moments, letting the heat and humidty of the swamp rock her into a light nap. A twig snapped nearby, and Liu's eyes fluttered open, only for her to jump to her feet in surprise. The raven-haired girl from before was standing there once more, but her hands were covered in flames and her eyes were a blazing white. Before Liu could say anything, water sprung up from the swamp and surrounded the girl in a bubble of greenish water. The ground underneath Liu's feet shook, and the wind suddenly picked up around her. The girl looked peaceful encased in water and flame, yet her face was twisted in rage and anger, her long locks brushing across her face. Just then Liu gasped as her eyes flew open. Her heart was pounding as she quickly looked at her surroundings. The swamp around her was buzzing with life, but it was like the girl was never there. It had been a dream. Sighing with relief, Liu packed up belongings back up and put out the fire before heading Northeast. She was tired of the swamp and the visions it insisted on giving her. So, she trudged through the swamp water and slimey trees, determined to put as much distance between her and that magical place.

Finally, Liu broke through the underbrush, coming to a sudden clearing where a broken down-looking plane was sitting there with Corey waiting for her. Waving, Liu trudged the few feet distance. Just as the plane was about to take off, she glanced back to see the vision of the girl with blazing white eyes vanish into the shadows and vines. "How was your trip?" Corey shouted over the roar of the engine. Liu watched as the plane quickly ascended into the sky and leveled out among the clouds. Staring down at the darkness of the swamp, the earthbender couldn't help but feel a shiver escape her.

"Strange...very strange..."

Corey smiled at this and tilted the plane back towards the Southwest, the sun on the right side of them. "Well, you've missed a lot..."

_**Dev's POV, Republic City**_

"I always knew you would be back, dear nephew."

Dev stood at attention in front of the Don of the Agni Kai's. His dear uncle. Swallowing any amount of fear, Dev gave the dangerous man a tentative smile and nod. "It's good to be back home," he stated, trying to sound grateful. The Don smiled and closed his eyes for a moment before slowly standing up and walking around his desk to stand in front of the boy. He narrowed his eyes at the young earthbender, their blackness analyzing him. Dev clenched his jaw, determined to show no emotion as he glared back. There was a tense silence in the room, until finally the Don spoke again, his voice quiet and deadly.

"I want you to know that I have nothing against Jonny's noble cause," he said, his voice casual. "As you know, I hire benders all the time." He slowly walked around the earthbender and paused between his two large guards standing next to the exit. Dev was beginning to feel a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. "However, our grand leader, Bishop has given the Triad certain...amenities...for our loyalty. We can keep doing our work if we do everything in our power to shut down the Rebellion." Dev narrowed his eyes a bit, his muscles clenching into fists. The Don smiled knowingly and opened the door. "I know you've been giving Jonny information about us. We have a witness." His fascade was suddenly gone, and in its place was an angry man with a crunched up face and darts for eyes. "You may have been my sister's bastard son, but you've outstayed your welcome. I don't have mercy for spies. Boys, make sure he doesn't see the light of day." Dev clenched his teeth together and got down in a defensive position. As the door opened, he caught a glimpse of the firebender from before, his smug face smiling triumphantly. The Don slammed the door shut behind him and the guards advanced forward with their hands raised.

"Let me go and neither of you have to get hurt," Dev threatened with a hiss. The guards looked at each other before breaking out in amused grins.

"Don't worry kid," said the one on the right. "We'll make sure it's quick." He pulled out a rope from his belt while the other pulled out a few hand daggers. There was a pregnant pause before finally the one on the left chucked two straight at Dev's face. He kicked the ground and a block of earth blocked the knives. He then kicked it forward and the guard was squished up against the wall. Flying on instinct, Dev ducked under the remaining guard's swipe and sidestepped his counter-strike. Dev ducked and dodged, getting ready for the perfect moment to strike back. Finally, with his back up against the door, Dev pushed his arms out and a boulder flew into the man's stomach, making him crash through the door. Without wasting another minute, Dev flew out of the broken door and down the hallway, pushing his legs faster than ever before. He rounded the corner with a skid, and immediately came to a halt. Standing there was a row of angry-looking gangsters with a variety of weapons. The Don was standing in front of them with the firebender at his right-hand side. The Don chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting.

"I knew you would escape," he said as if proud of his nephew. "Our family doesn't quit, even when the odds are against us." Dev gritted his teeth and got ready for a fight.

"I'm nothing like you," he retorted angrily. The Don chuckled at this and shook his head.

"Of course you're like me," he hissed back. "Do you think you're dear, sweet, mother would ever have done the things you've done? No, you're more like me than you realize. My sister was always weak; caring for the sick and needy. You're a survivalist. You always have been; You always will be. Don't deny it."

"I'm nothing like you," Dev repeated. He then kicked his foot and thrust his arms sideways. The wall broke in on the line of gangsters just as they began to advance forward. There was a loud boom as the rock crumbled between him and the others, separating them. There were a few choked coughs and groans of people who had been hit by the flying debris. Dev turned around and was about to run when a voice stopped him.

"If you leave now, you'll never find out about what happened to your father!" the Don shouted, his voice coughing and ragged. Dev clenched his fists and closed his eyes. When he was young his father had left in the middle of the day, never to return. His mother never talked about him, and when she died Dev was left alone on the street to care for himself. Of course, he had tried to find him, but to no avail. And he wasn't about to find out now. Without another word, the young earthbender left the injured mobsters and sprinted off down the hallway...

_**Anya's POV, Republic City – The Underground**_

They entered the building and Anya was surprised to see a large stadium broken into four different rings based on the four elements. People were surrounding the earth one, so that's where Jonny pushed her. Anya recogni?ed the Commanders sitting on the benches nearest the ring, their faces in different expressions. With a nervous gulp, she moved forward into the ring with Jonny at her back. He squee?ed her shoulder and looked her straight in the eyes.

"It looks like you'll be facing off with Ryuu," he stated. Anya looked over her shoulder to see Jonny's second-in-command stretching his limbs on the opposite end of the arena. Jonny saw the anxious look she had on her face and he gently squee?ed her shoulders in a reassuring manner. "Don't worry, Ryuu will go easy on you." He backed up and stood on the outer side of the arena, leaving Anya to face the Major alone. The Major did not give Anya a friendly smile, or any hint of mercy. Instead, he got down in a defensive position as the growing crowd of onlookers began to hush their voices in excitement. Anya took a deep breath and faced off with the middle-aged earthbender.

"Are you prepared?" Ryuu asked. Anya took another deep breath and nodded her head, trying to remember everything that Scar had taught her. Without a second warning, Ryuu attacked. Three boulders burst from the ground and with a wave of his hand were hurled towards Anya. For the young Avatar it was as if time had slowed down. All of her nerves vanished, and she was left with the comfortable feeling of knowing what her body was capable of doing. She easily dodged the three boulders, acting light on her feet, and in the next second ushered three pillars of rock from the ground with a jab of her right hand. Ryuu was forced upward, but he agilly flipped once in the air and landed back onto the ground. He didn't waste any time, however, in attacking back. As he flipped in the air, he sent several rock disks flying towards Anya. She dodged them gracefully once again, the third one barely missing her left shoulder. She ducked, hitting the ground and kicked up some dirt into the air, creating a dense fog. This gave her some cover as she got back onto her feet and stabled herself.

Anya carefully began making tiny circles as she made her way through the fog. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her nerves and closed her eyes; she wasn't using them anyway. As she made quiet footsteps, she listened to the vibrations her feet made, and opened up her second hearing. In the second month of her stay in Omashu, Scar had taught Anya how to listen to the ground and how to open up her senses and let earthbending be her guide. So, this is what Anya did. Her feet made small vibrations, however, Ryuu's were a lot louder as he walked through the dust and rock. The sound of his heel smashing into the ground forced Anya to turn to the side, and just as she did she felt the air shimmer in front of her face as sharp rock ?oomed past her. She then fought back by stamping her foot and pushing her left hand outward. Rocks burst quickly from the ground and shot straight into the dust. Anya heard the satisfying sound of an oof and thud. Smiling, Anya stood up straight, took a deep breath, and pushed her arms up and then back down. The fog disappeared, leaving Anya standing there looking down at the hunched over figure of Ryuu. He was holding his stomach and looking up at her with ama?ement. Anya was about to back down, however, the Major suddenly pulled a fast one and jerked his arm upward. Anya was prepared for it

She saw it coming at her in slow motion, feeling the movement with her earthbending as well as physically seeing it. Anya calmly stepped to the side and turned her body just as sharp rocks flew past her face. The young Avatar heard the crowd of onlooks gasp, but she didn't pay them any attention. Instead she thrusted her hand downward towards the ground and out sprung a large pillar of rock that collided into Ryuu and sent him flying into the air. He landed back on his side of the arena with a loud thud and a harsh crunch. Groaning, he stood up, his breathing heavy and his eyes determined. Suddenly, with a huge grunt, he pulled up three massive boulders and held them menacingly towards Anya.

Just then, the young woman felt a nagging memory at the back of her mind. In it, a young waterbending woman with a familiar face was defending a crowd of people against men in uniforms. The men in uniforms were oppressing people with large boulders, hoisting the citi?ens up into the air. The waterbending woman hopped up, lifted her arms, and brought them down, lowering all three boulders in one fell swoop. Anya was suddenly jerked back into reality, confused for a split second on what just happened. However, she didn't question it, and followed this move step-by-step. She jumped, swinging her arms, bringing them over her head, and pushing them down. She could feel the control that Ryuu had over the boulders, but her earthbending was too strong for him. Ryuu gasped as Anya pushed his boulders back down into the ground. He stood up, his mouth gaping open; the crowd was silent as well as they watched the young girl trap the old Major in a rock formation, pushing his limbs too far apart to bend. Anya then pushed him back against the far wall, forcing him to admit defeat.

"Still think I'm just a fragile princess?" she asked harshly, her arms still raised. Ryuu looked up at her, his eyes wide in shock and humiliation. He bowed his head in defeat and humility. Anya stood up straight, and with a deep breath brought down her hands and released Ryuu from his earth binds. He leaned over his knees, nearly breathless, but then straightened up and gave Anya a respectful bow.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," he said sincerely. "You are truly a gifted earthbender, and we are lucky to have you on our side." Anya smiled and bowed in return. Just then a hand gripped her shoulder and she turned to see Jonny looking at her with pride spread across his face.

"I've never seen anyone best Ryuu like that," he said with a genuine smile. "Looks like you're one of us now."

Anya smiled and watched as the crowd began to thin, each person giving her a once-over before leaving, curious and slightly afraid of her power. She looked back up at Jonny with excitement and anxiety. "I'm officially part of the rebellion?" she asked nervously. Jonny smiled and squee?ed her shoulder.

"Welcome to the Underground, Master Earthbender."

_**Dev's POV, Republic City – The Underground**_

He made it back to the Underground with a few scratches and bumps from his earthbending. As he slid down the ladder, he first made his way to the Council's tent where Ryuu was taking Jonny's place at the head of the table. He glanced up as Dev entered, and ushered him over. "What happened?" he asked seriously. "You weren't supposed to be back for another two days." Dev sighed and hid the pain he was feeling as the scratches and cuts on his face stiffened.

"The Don found me out," he confessed. Ryuu sighed and put a reassuring hand on the earthbender's shoulder. "Well, you did what you could."

"I found out that the gangs are doing what Bishop says because he's letting them conduct business around all four nations. There's no chance of them turning on him and helping us," he stated. Ryuu closed his eyes for a moment, digesting this, before nodding his head.

"I guess we kind of expected that," he admitted. He gestured towards Dev's face. "You should get to the healing tent. Get Dakari to give you a once-over then hit the sack." Dev nodded and paused for a moment as he looked around the make-shift center.

"Where's Jonny?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. The fearless leader was never usually gone for very long from the tent.

"There's a new girl, and he's taking her to the dojo to be tested," he stated, gathering up his things. "I'm supposed to be meeting them there in a few minutes." Dev nodded his head, too exhausted to be curious about the new person, and headed towards the healing tent a few yards away. He pushed back the tent flaps and was hit by the smell of rubbing salts and a variety of herbs. Just as he entered, he was attacked by a body wrapping around his torso. He recognized the warmth and strength of Lena, her arms squeezing him tightly.

"Thank god you're back!" she whispered in his ear. "I was really worried about you." Dev blushed a little at this and carefully unwrapped her arms and held her hands, looking into her beautifully deep blue eyes.

"I'm fine. Just a little beat up," he said nonchalantly, feeling his heart soar in his chest at her worry over him. Lena gave him a once-over before gently touching his bruised and cut face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, looking deeply into his eyes. Lena always knew when there was something wrong with him...even on the inside. Suppressing his mixed feelings about what had happened at the Agni Kai's, Dev walked over to Dakari who was silently watching from the corner, and sat down on the healing table.

"Nothing a little healing can't cure," he said with a teasing smile. Dakari rolled her eyes and placed her hands on his cheeks.

"Don't be such a baby," she scolded jokingly. "It's not like you almost died..."

_**Liu's POV, The Swamp**_

They arrived on the outskirts of Republic City in a few hours. She jumped out of the plane and walked through the clearing towards the Underground, leaving Corey to examine the aircraft. Sliding down into the tunnels, she made her way to the Council tent where Jonny and Ryuu were in deep discussion. She pushed open the tent flaps just as Jonny hissed at Ryuu: "She's important, Ryuu, end of discussion." Raising her eyebrows, Liu walked forward and slammed the backpack full of medicine and herbs down on the table in front of them with a triumphant smile.

"You ladies bickering again?" she teased. Both men quickly fixed their expressions and turned to her with forced smiles. Jonny opened the back and gave a low whistle.

"Wow! Nicely done, Commander," he said with a smile. Liu shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal then folded her arms over her chest.

"What's going on?" she questioned. "You two look like you're about to jump out of your skins." Ryuu sighed and shot Jonny a bad look before responding.

"Jonny has decided to bring a new member into our ranks," he stated angrily. Liu's eyebrows shot up higher at this. The Rebellion didn't get very many new people, especially since Jonny's qualifications were so high.

"Who?" she asked. Ryuu's expression grew darker as he glared at the Rebellion leader.

"The Earth King's daughter."

Liu's jaw dropped a little at this, and she stared at her leader in shock. Of course, the Commanders had all known that Jonny had saved the youngest royal and had stashed her away at a safe house in Omashu, but he hadn't said anything about taking her in as a soldier. "What, why?" she asked suddenly. Jonny gave them both harsh looks and folded his arms over his chest.

"Because, Anya is an exceptional earthbender who, I think, deserves to be included," he stated, ending the discussion with a sharp tone of voice. Liu was about to ask another question when Ryuu brushed past his mentor, and leader, and opened the tent flap.

"We'll see about that," he hissed before storming away. Jonny sighed and shook his head sadly before turning to Liu.

"Take this medicine to Dakari and then come to the dojo. Ryuu insists on testing the girl in the ring before letting her into the Rebellion," he commanded. Without speaking, Liu nodded her head and grabbed the pack before quickly heading out into the sewer streets. She was startled to see Jonny so worked up about this girl. Jonny was usually the harsh one, forcing anyone who joins the Rebellion to go through a series of tests before allowing into the sewers. Looking back in her mind, Liu couldn't even remember what the royal family looks like, let alone their names. Anya...something about it seemed familiar. She dropped the back full of herbs at the healing tent where Dev was sitting there, his face full of cuts and bruises. Dakari gave Liu a small smile before hungrily turning towards the bag. Leaving the healer to her job, Liu wove her way through the small sewer city to the dojo where the rest of the Commanders, and a lot of onlookers, were waiting on the bleachers. Liu slid into the seat next to Makki and gave the severe-looking waterbender a curious glance.

"So, why is this girl so important?" she asked. Makki shrugged her shoulders silently, and before Liu could ask another question, figures walked onto the mat. Liu recognized Ryuu in his training outfit with his angry expression, and she turned to see a dark-haired girl walk onto the mat. Liu felt her face grow white and her stomach drop. That was the girl from the vision in the swamp...Liu watched as she moved easily around Ryuu, earthbending fluidly. Her eyes were closed, but Liu knew that they were grey and wise. The fight went on for a few minutes before, finally, the girl came out on top, trapping Ryuu against the wall with earthbending. She was breathing raggedly, and her body shivered from the physical exhaustion of the fight, but her eyes were full of triumphant and light. The memory of the vision came back to Liu swiftly, encompassing her mind of the image of the girl surrounded by all elements, her eyes blazing white and her face twisted in rage. It hit Liu like a rock wall. She watched as Jonny and the rest of the Commanders swarmed the girl with cheers and hushed comments of surprise. The girl looked up at the Rebellion leader with triumph and smiles. The leader was returning her gaze with pride. Suddenly, Liu knew why Jonnny had gone through all that trouble to bring the girl to the Underground.

The Earth King's daughter is the Avatar...

_**Bishop's POV, Republic City**_

The grand Council room was empty except for the large chair at the very end in which a single man in a dark suit and mask sat quietly and thoughtfully. Just then, the doors burst open and in marched two guards half-carrying, half-dragging, a skinnier soldier up to the man in the chair. The man in the chair didn't pay them much mind, but remained silent. The two soldiers saluted the man in the chair.

"Bishop, sir, this man says that he saw something you might want to hear about," the soldier on the right said. The man called Bishop merely nodded for the man to speak. The skinnier soldiers gulped, his knees quaking comically.

"Sir…I-I-my troop tried to stop the Rebellion leader and some of his men in Divide City, but we were stopped by an incredibly talented earthbender," he stated shakily.

Bishop put his fingertips together as he stared at the man through his harsh mask. "I know this," he said, his voice deep and menacing. "Why are you explaining your faults to me?"

The man cleared his throat, his cheeks flushed from embarassement. "That young girl not only was an earthbender, but she also was able to control fire." This statement hung in the air for a moment as Bishop sat in his large, golden chair still processing the words, finally he spoke.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper. The man nodded vigorously.

"Yes sir, the other patrolmen witnessed the same thing," he reassured the man. Bishop stood up in his chair and turned his back to the soldiers, his hand on his chin in deep thought. Finally, after a few moments, he turned around and addressed the three soldiers.

"If this is true then we will have to prepare ourselves," he said, almost more to himself. "Get Hunter and tell him to track this girl down immediately. Also, get Jorda and tell him that it's time we reinforced our troops in the Fire Capitol…I want to make sure the Fire Lord is still bowing to our every command." The three soldiers bowed, and exited in a hurry. Bishop was left standing there, one arm behind his back and the other scratching his chin in thought.

"If the Avatar is back, then it's time to move my plans ahead of schedule…"


	2. Book 2: Fire

_**Book 2: Fire**_

**Jorah's POV/ ?**

"You're going to have to hit me a hell of a lot harder than that if you want to get me to talk."

The young man was tied down to a chair, his nose running blood down his face. He stared up at his assaulter with great disdain, his eyes darkened on the bottom. The man who had hit him was a grey haired man with wide eyes and a large scar on his left cheek. He was holding a baton and looking down at Jorah with complete disdain. The room surrounding the earthbender was completely made of the most pure plutonium that money could buy…completely unbendable. Not that it would matter; Jorah was so physically and mentally exhausted that he couldn't have bended anything even if he wanted to. So, he just sat there, limp and completely exhausted with his hands bound together behind his back and his feet practically connected to the ground. His wrists and ankles were slightly bloody from trying to escape. The interrogator was pacing in front of him, thinking about what came next. Finally, he shook his head and let out a cynical chuckle.

"You're a tough one, I'll give you that," he said, showing a slight amount of admiration for the Earth Prince. "You've been here for 2 years already, Jorah. Everybody has already forgotten about the royal family, and nobody is looking for you. Your sisters are locked away hundreds of miles from here while your parents suffer in a dark, stingy, dungeon." His breath reeked as he hissed these sentiments at the poor Prince. Jorah, however, went unphased. He had heard things like this spoken to him a lot over the past 2 years. He never allowed the words to phase him, or let the guards see him under any stress or sadness. Instead, he put on a smile and cocky air, and teased the guards that tried so hard to get under his skin. In reality, he was afraid of his life and the safety of his family. Would he ever see them again? Or worse, were they even alive? The only one that he had heard about was Anya. One night he had overheard two guards arguing about her. There were rumors that she had managed to slip away during the fire at the palace, escaping with one of the head guards. This gave Jorah hope. He remembered Anya as an extremely tough, witty, and adaptable girl whose determination got her into dangerous situations. So, the young man smiled up at the interrogator with a deep loathing.

"My family will come," he whispered, staring darkly at the contemptuous man with all his forces of loathing and disdain. "And when they do, you're going to wish for a quick death." The man's face scrunched up in absolute anger and he brought down the whip in his hand…

**Anya's POV/ The Underground**

It had been two weeks since Anya beat Ryuu in the dojo arena, but every once in a while she would enter a room in which the people would immediately break apart, having just been talking about her. After a while of hushed tones and whispers about her family and past, Anya got used to it and just ignored everyone. She ventured around the Underground and discovered the different side tunnels and alleys that had been long forgotten and ignored. Anya quickly grew to love living with Jinora and Leah, both airbenders were calm and gentle, providing the young woman with a caring place to live and train. When she wasn't exploring the sewer city, Anya was busy training in secret with Jonny in the practice of firebending on the outside of the city in the mountains. She had met a lot of people in the Rebellion, and had even gained a part-time job at the tea shop with Carla and her daughter, Aisha. Firebending training was her favorite part of the day. She loved the idea that with every minute of training, she was getting closer to finding her family.

That's what she thought of as she barely dodged an attack from Jonny, a fire ball straight for her chest. She stepped lightly on her feet and send one flying back, jumping up and spinning agilly in the air. She then ducked as fire bree?ed past her head and she flung herself into the air and carwheeled above Jonny, shooting off two jets down at him in mid-air; she then landed on the ground and send off a large stream of fire right towards him. Her vision was engulfed by red and orange, and after a moment of pure fire, she dropped her hands and looked to see Jonny with his hands together, cutting the fire in half, separating it before it touched his body. He looked up and smiled as he dropped his defense. "Very good progress today, Little Bird," he said with a smile. "you're a natural firebender." Anya smiled widely at this, excitement filling her cheeks and eyes. She was breathless from all of the physical exertion, but she loved this. Jonny looked over at the darkening sky and gestured for Anya to follow. Together, they walked down the path from the nearby mountains and towards the manhole. Anya was silent, but Jonny could tell that something was wrong.

"What is it, Little Bird?" he asked gently. Anya sighed and looked over at the city which was sending beautiful shadows across the orange and red sky. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked at Jonny with wide, saddened eyes.

"If I'm the Avatar aren't I supposed to…I don't know…have all of this down already?" she asked slowly. Jonny smiled and shook his head.

"No," he responded truthfully. "It takes years of discipline and practice." This gave Anya a little bit of courage, but she still looked anxious about something. After a little more coaxing from Jonny, Anya turned to him earnestly.

"I'm still getting used to the idea of being the Avatar," she admitted. "It's like I suddenly have these memories that are mine, but aren't. I suddenly have this whole new side of me that I can't control, yet I can feel it deep inside me." Jonny nodded his head at this as the two of them lifted the manhole and began climbing down. Anya dropped down into the dark tunnel as Jonny lit his fist on fire and began leading the way back to the underground city. Jonny was watching the young Avatar carefully, his eyes twinkling in the light of the dancing flame.

"There's nothing to be scared about," he reassured her. "You're the Avatar, just trust your instincts and everything will follow."

Anya sighed as they got closer to the city, the street torches shining in the darkness. "I guess I just feel…bad about lying to people about who I am," she admitted. Jonny stopped in his tracks at this and turned to look at the young girl. He gently squee?ed her shoulders and gave her a knowing look.

"I know that it's difficult, Little Bird," he said quietly. "But for right now I truly believe that it would be better if we kept it underwraps…at least until you've furthered your training." Anya nodded her head reluctantly and together they walked back into the city. Jonny excused himself and left for the Council building on the far edge of town. Anya was left to her own devices for the rest of the night. Anya made her way through town and stopped by the tea shop where she tied an apron around her waist and began serving hot tea to a few stragglers. Some of them recognised her and said hello as she poured their drinks. As she was sweeping a muscular dark-haired firebender walked in and took a seat in her section. He was smirking at the young Avatar as she walked over and raised an eyebrow.

"What can I get for you?" she asked politely. The boy's smile widened at this and he gave her a cocky wink.

"How about a date, good-lookin'," he said coyly. Anya rolled her eyes and gave him an exasperated look, her hand on her hip out of attitude.

"How about some tea?" she suggested with a raised eyebrow. The boy chuckled and nodded his head in confirmation.

"I'm Finn by the way," he said smoothly with a humorous wink. "You're the new earthbender, right? Anya?" Anya nodded her head with a smile, rethinking about her initial thoughts about this boy. He gestured to the seat across from him and Anya hesitantly sat down in the chair. Astrid walked over and slid the tea in front of them, giving the young Avatar a sly wink before walking away.

"So, where are you from?" Anya asked conversationally. Finn smiled widely and nodded over his shoulder.

"I grew up on Ember Island, but I spent most of my life at the arena as a pro-bender," he stated nonchalantly. Anya perked up a little at this. Of course, she had listened to the tournaments on radio, but she had never been to an actual match before. Maybe there was more to this firebender than meets this eye. She leaned in, now suddenly interested.

"You must be really good at firebending then, huh?" she asked. Finn shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but he wore a proud smile.

"Back in the day I was a professional," he stated, reminiscing on his good days. "My team won a few championships...man, those were the days."

"How did you come to be part of the Rebellion?" she asked qui?ically. Finn sighed, the vague smile on his face slowly disappearing. He looked down at his cup of tea in sadness.

"Three years ago a battalion of Bishop's men attacked the arena during the one of my matches. My team and I were barely able to make it out alive. When I went home that night I found out that Bishop had overthrown the regime and was now calling his empire the Republic. I watched from my window as benders were taken from their homes and thrown into prison...or worse...that night I made a decision. I am going to find the Avatar and help him defeat this menace. And I thought that the best way to do that would be to join the Rebellion," he told her, his eyes shining proudly. Anya felt her stomach drop a little at the mention of the Avatar. Hiding her secret, she cleared her throat.

"Why do you want to help the Avatar so badly?" she asked, not looking him in the eye. Finn smiled at this and held his chin high.

"My grandfather was one of Avatar Korra's friends. Makko."

Suddenly, an image swam into Anya's mind. It was of the same water tribe woman wearing a pro-bending uniform and laughing with a rather solemn looking boy with dark hair and amber eyes. She was jerked out of her revere and found herself staring into those same amber eyes. Finn _was_ Makko's grandson...the connection between the two of them made Anya feel slightly uncomfortable and she cleared her throat. Suddenly, Finn stood up and gripped Anya's arm in an excited manner. "I know!" He shouted excitedly. "Why don't I teach you some pro-bending moves." Before Anya could reject his offer, he left a few bills on the table and quickly jaunted out of the store shouting: "Meet me at the clearing near the warehouses in the mountains in a few hours. And bring your A-game!" He hurried out of the teashop leaving Anya standing there with some dirty cups and saucers. Sighing, she slowly got up and cleaned the table off. Astrid walked over with a broom and began sweeping up dust.

"Looks like Finn's gonna give you some insight into the world of pro-bending," she said with a knowing smile. Anya chuckled a little and threw the dishes in the sink.

"Does he do that for everyone?" she asked, amused. Astrid chuckled and put her hands on her hips.

"Unfortunately."

Anya helped clean up the backroom before leaving the teashop and making her way through the city. She decided to make her way to the Control Box where lights were shining out of all corners and wires wrapped around a small building. Just as she began to approach she heard a few deep barks and a shout just as the door busted open and a large, dark figure began bounding towards the young Avatar. Anya wasn't perturbed, she just smiled and opened her arms wide as the horse-dog tackled her and began licking her face excitedly.

"Hey Ambrose," she said cheerfully. Just then, the large animal was pulled off of her and Cid was standing there in a wall of muscles and smirk. He jerked his head over his shoulder towards the Control Box. Anya smiled in response and was about to ask where Micah was when he put up a hand to stop her, already knowing the question.

"Micah's taking care of the radios for the next few hours," he said, his smirk widened. "He might want some company." With that statement, the blonde man winked and vanished in the darkness behind her. Blushing slightly, Anya walked into the Control Box to see Micah sitting in the large swivel chair with his small, blonde cousin Tasha sitting on the counter next to him. She folded her arms across her chest as Anya entered, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Well, look here..the Princess has decided to grace us with her presence," she said snidely. Anya ignored her as Micah quickly turned around, his face flushed as he cleared his throat and began stumbling on his words.

"Anya!" he exclaimed, flustered. "Um…hi…wow…it's good to see you." Anya smiled and nodded her head in greeting.

"Yeah…I'm sorry it's been a few days," she mumbled. "Jonny has me training pretty hard." Micah nodded his head in understanding.

"How's the earthbending going?" he asked. Anya paused at this, knowing that she was actually lying straight to his face with her next words.

"It's…great…," she said hesitantly, forcing the lie to come out. Micah smiled and turned to Tasha, giving her a look. She recogni?ed it and rolled her eyes with a sigh. She slowly got up and left the two alone in the small, radio room. Micah blushed a little and sat up in his seat. Anya smiled and leaned against the corner of the counter, looking around at the different radio comms and wires.

"So..who do you talk to with these?" Anya asked curiously. Micah smiled and leaned back in the large swivel chair.

"Jonny sends groups of people out on separate missions around the four nations," he explained. "Right now I think Ikki is at the Southern Air Temple, and Lokir is in Fire Fountain City." Anya nodded her head, hardly able to believe that the Rebellion operation was so organi?ed that it had separate entities and missions. Micah cleared his throat and was about to say something when one of the radio comms blinked red. The young blonde immediately swiveled around in his chair and picked up the radio. He cleared his throat before he answered.

"Yeah?"

Anya was able to recogni?e Kay's sharp voice on the other end.

"Hey Micah, do you mind telling Cid that Jonny is bringing everyone together in an hour for that meeting and he needs to get there a bit early," she stated. Micah confirmed this and clicked off the radio. Anya stared into space, feeling several harsh emotions at once. She immediately jolted up and turned to leave. Micah followed suit, not quite understanding what was wrong as he followed the fuming woman down the long, dark, tunnel.

"Wait, Anya! What's wrong?" he demanded, practically jogging next to her fast gait.

"Jonny didn't tell me about that meeting," she said. Micah raised an eyebrow at this and gently grabbed Anya's arm.

"But why would he tell you?" he asked, confused. "The meeting is for the Commanders and Rebellion leaders only. If any of us get a mission one of them will tell us afterwards."

"I have a right to know!" she exclaimed, coming to a full start before the start of the Underground city.

Micah's expression just got more confused as he ga?ed at the young woman. "Why?" At this question, Anya opened her mouth but shut it quickly again, almost revealing her Avatar status. Clearing her throat she just shrugged her shoulders and pushed back her hair.

"I just…feel like everyone should have a say in what goes on in the Rebellion…," she said hastily. Micah's expression was still one of skepticism, but he let it go as he walked with Anya back into the makeshift city. Together they passed familiar houses and people, Micah waving cheerfully towards them. They walked through the city, past the dojo and teashop, and straight towards the Office building at the very edge of the city. Micah hesitated at the front door, but Anya did not; she walked straight into the conference room where a group of people were standing around a large table with Jonny at the head of it. They all looked up as the young woman walked into the room with Micah walking hesitantly behind her.

"Anya, I'm in a meeting. I'll speak to you when we're done," Jonny said, waving her away. Anya clenched her teeth and stared down the firebender. Jonny could see that determined look on her face, and immediately knew that she was not happy. With a sigh he walked over and lead her out of the room by draping his arm over her shoulder and steering her out of the large conference room. Micah followed, but Jonny turned to him and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Micah, for escorting Anya," his voice was forced pleasant. "If you don't mind, I would like to speak with her alone. If you could just wait in the conference room with your brother…" Micah gave Anya a worried look before slowly walking back into the large room. Anya immediately whipped around and gave Jonny a hurt, and angry, expression.

"Anya…," he started, but the young woman stopped him in mid-sentence.

"Why didn't you invite me to the meeting?" she demanded, getting straight to the point. Jonny sighed and gave her an obvious look.

"Because, the meetings are only for Rebellion leaders and commanders," he answered.

"I'm the Avatar, Jonny," Anya pointed out. "I should know what's going on."

"Yes you're the Avatar," the firebender admitted. "But I've told you many times now: you have to keep that to yourself for now. We don't want others finding out until you've been better properly trained."

Anya folded her arms stubbornly across her chest. "Maybe, but I still have a right to know what's going on…along with being a part of a mission…" Jonny raised his eyebrow at this part and shook his head vigorously.

"Mission?" he questioned, his voice low. Anya stood up a little straighter and looked him in the eyes. She needed to make herself clear, and she knew that Jonny would come up with as many excuses as possible to exclude her from any missions. So, she cleared her throat.

"Yes," she responded. "Jonny, either I'm a part of this rebellion or I'm not. I've been training in firebending for months now…YEARS in earthbending…if it was anyone else you would have already sent them out. But because it's ME…you refuse to send me out on a mission." Jonny looked at her with quiet eyes, finally he sighed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Alright fine," he agreed surprisingly. "I'll send you on a mission, but you have to promise me that you won't barge in on any more meetings."

Anya smiled and nodded her head enthusiastically. Jonny gave her a knowing grin then quietly walked back to the conference room. With a sigh, Anya ran a hand through her hair and walked towards the airbender house, getting ready for whatever was coming next...

**Jonny's POV/The Underground**

He walked back into the conference room and was met with a variety of stares and curious expressions. Ignoring their stares, he walked around the table and looked down at the maps. He was vaguely aware of the fact that they were still staring, and it was the feisty Kay who broke the silence.

"Your princess seems to feel entitled to some say in the decisions of the Rebellion...," she said with raised eyebrows. Jonny sighed at the redheaded spy and gave them a nonchalant shrug.

"Anya is just feeling a bit restless," he explained reasonably. "So, I promised her a part in one of the next away-missions." He gave them all a look, saying that it was the end of that conversation. Kay kept her mouth shut, but the Rebellion leader could see that she was harboring slight resentment towards the young Earth princess. The Commanders and General then began talking about the different areas that were in need of help. A few of their pylons have been on the frit?, and they needed to send at least one of the engineers out to go fix them, or else their communication with certain regions would go down in under a week. What's more, they were in desperate need of intell about what Bishop's next move is going to be. And that required a spy. Turning towards the dark-haired, tall woman in the corner, Jonny smiled and ushered her forward. Fay languidly stepped forward and flung her hair out of her face, staring at Jonny through piercing amber eyes. Ryuu cleared his throat and nodded towards the spy.

"We know that you just got in from a mission, Fay, but we need you to go back out again," Ryuu stated formally, his hands behind his back in a soldier-like fashion. Fay gave him a twinkling smile and turned back to Jonny, her lips turned slightly upward.

"What do you need?" she asked, her voice soft yet commanding attention. Jonny pointed towards Republic City on the map where a placeholder for a barricade of troops sat.

"We need information on what Bishop's next move is going to be," Jonny said, getting straight to business. "We need you to sneak into the ranks of the non-benders and find out what they're planning." Kay huffed at this and stepped forward, indignant.

"What?" she demanded angrily. "Why not me?"

Jonny sighed and rolled his eyes. "_Fine_. You both are going," he gave in, exasperated. Kay smiled triumphantly at this and stepped back into line. Jonny then picked up a piece of paper and addressed his second-in-command who was standing by, ready for his next orders.

"I also want Tasha out and doing some maintenance on our older pylons...," Just then, Jonny was struck by an idea. With a smile growing across his face, he immediately changed tactic. "Still send Tasha, but tell her to bring Corey, Finn, and Anya with her" The others all gave him curious expressions, but Jonny was rolling with it. It was Makki who spoke next.

"Are you sure she's ready, Jonny?" she asked quietly. Jonny smiled and nodded his head confidently.

"I'm absolutely positive," he answered cheerfully. "They'll leave in a few days." And with that, he shot down the conversation. They then talked about supplies and a few other things before the Commanders began filing out and leaving Jonny there with the maps. He was folding the papers up when he noticed Liu still standing there, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Do you need something, Commander?" Jonny asked nicely. Liu took a few steps forward and stood in front of Jonny, her eyes glinting.

"You seem really protective of Anya...," she said, trailing off. Jonny felt a pit drop in his stomach, but he hid it well with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulder.

"Anya has a lot of potential," he stated. "And her whole family has been captured by the Republic. She doesn't have a home, and she needs our help." Liu nodded her head slowly and then gave him another strange look.

"I spent most of my life in the Swamp, so I've always felt connected to the world in this strange way," Liu stated, glaring at the firebender. "While I was getting the medicine, I kept having this vision of a strong young woman with dark hair who could bend all the elements..." Jonny felt the color drain from his face and he took a step back.

"I-"

Liu cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I know Anya's the Avatar, Jonny." The Rebellion leader was speechless as he stared at the Swamp woman. Finally, he cleared his throat and took a step forward.

"Please don't tell anyone," he said, getting straight to the point. "I've been training Anya in firebending, but she still has a long ways to go before she's ready." Liu smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

"Don't worry," she said, turning towards the door. "Her secret's safe with me." She then turned back to Jonny, her face serious. "But in my vision she said that 'everything's going to change'. We should be prepared for changes up ahead. You won't be able to keep her safe forever." And with that, she was gone. Taking a deep breath, Jonny continued packing up his things...

**Finn's POV/ The Underground**

The moment he saw the Earth King's daughter, he knew. For whatever reason, he could sense that there was something special about her. He quickly jaunted out of the teashop, promising her that he would show off some of his pro-bending skills. He went back to his home and changed into his old pro-bending uniform, making muscles at himself in the mirror. Stuck in the corner of the cracked glass was a picture of his aged grandpa, Mako sitting in his rocking chair with a younger Finn playing with blocks at his feet. The photo was in black and white and extremely faded, but it was Finn's most prized possession. His parents had died from a plane crash coming home from business in Ba Sing Se when he was very young; so, his grandfather had stepped in as guardian. Mako taught the young firebender all the moves, and soon he rose in the ranks as a pro-bender. Sadly, Mako died a year after his first tournament. Ever since then, Finn's been along, forced to fight for his own survival. Smiling sadly at it, Finn was about to leave when there was a quick knock on his door. He opened it to see the young airbender, Milo, standing there with a note in his hand. Grinning, Finn quickly took it and read it before whooping loudly and punching the air in excitement. "Do you know what this means?!" he demanded the little airbender. Milo raised his eyebrow, but merely shrugged his shoulders before floating away. The note read:

_You are to report to the dojo tomorrow morning to be debriefed on your next mission._

_Jonny._

Finn's grin grew across his face as he burned the note in his hand before he stepped out into the streets of the sewer and slammed his door shut. He was on his way to meet the new girl for a sparring lesson...

**Fay's POV/ Republic City**

She carefully dressed herself in an old uniform and pulled down her mask before stepping out of her small shack house. Just as she turned around, she jumped a little at the appearance of a shorter Republic non-bending officer standing in front of her with his hips placed awkwardly on his hips. "Are you coming, or what?" asked a rather impatient Kay. Fay rolled her eyes at the red-headed non-bender, and together they walked through the Underground and climbed up to the surface. It was dark outside as they quietly made their way back into the city. The streets were dark and patrolmen made their way in small groups around the corners. The two spies were light-footed as they dodged the shining lanterns of the non-bending watchmen. Finally, they came upon the Police Station, located in the downtown area. From a block away they could see the lights and bodies that flooded the building. Fay quickly pulled Kay into a spare alley around the corner and gestured to the large double doors of the station where a machine was checking badges. "It looks like they've amped up their security," she whispered. Kay frowned and looked around. With a sudden smirk, she pointed towards two non-benders who were standing limply nearby, waiting for the noodle shop to close. Winking, Fay followed the redhead around the corner, and a few swift kicks later, the two women had two new badges to present. The two spies confidently walked up and flashed the badges to the machines which gave them a green beep in return.

The police station loomed overhead, and was filled with marching officials. A few secretaries were running around looking harried with stacks of papers in their arms. Fay lead the way through the front area and into the back where there were private offices. "Where are we going, exactly?" Kay whispered, following closely behind. Fay didin't answer, and instead pointed to an office door labeled: CHIEF. As Kay played look-out, Fay dropped down to her knee and pulled out her lockpicking kit. Toying with the door-handle, she heard a soft click and then pushed it open. The inside was pretty simple; in the middle sat a large round desk and the windows overlooked Republic City.

"Stand watch," Fay commanded softly as she made her way over to the large desk. Kay huffed a little at being told what to do, but she did as she was told. Meanwhile, Fay pulled open the draws and dug through piles of paperwork. Most of the papers were nothing but late slips and directions, but a few of them held a little interest. She quickly folded them up and tucked them away into her belt. There was one locked drawer, and she immediately pulled out her lock-picking kit and got to work. Just as she was working it open, Kay whistled low under her breath and made a 'hurry up' gesture. Pushing back the panic, Fay quickly pulled the drawer open and rifled through the small stack of papers.

"C'mon, we have to get out of here!" Kay hissed urgently. Fay ignored her and continued rifling, the sound of heavy boot steps getting closer. Finally, a folder entitled CLASSIFIED caught her attention, and she immediately pulled it out and slammed shut the bottom drawer. The two spies just managed to get into hiding spaces before the door burst open and in walked a lean man with a missing ear and a cut across his menacing cut across his face. He was rather ugly and stout, but he was obviously powerfully built. Fay was curled up in a ball under the desk, and she watched as the man's boots stopped right in front of her. He rifled through some papers on the desk for a few long minutes before finally turning back and leaving the room. Letting out the breath she was holding, Fay uncurled herself and hoisted her body up to a standing position while Kay dropped from the ceiling. The redhead groaned as she stretched her arms and legs.

"Couldn't have moved a bit faster, could you?" she whined. Fay rolled her eyes and picked up the file, pulling it open. Out fell a few sheets of papers with bold writing. The spy pulled off her mask and read through it quickly. She slowly looked up at the redhead, her mouth falling open in shock.

"What? What's in there?" Kay demanded, seeing the expression on the firebender's face. Fay shook her head, unable to believe it.

"Bishop is taking his troops out of the Fire Nation and sending them to the Southern Air Temple," she whispered. Kay's eyes grew wide, but she ripped the folder out of Fay's hands and tucked it into her own belt.

"We have to get this to Jonny," she exclaimed, pulling her mask back over her face. Fay nodded, and followed suit, opening the office door. TJust as she did so, a loud alarm rang above them, the lights suddenly going red. Glancing at each other in fear, they were quickly making their way down the hall when a voice echoed behind them.

"Halt! Where do you think you're going?"

**Anya's POV/The Underground**

The young Avatar pulled herself out of the sewers and made her way to the warehouses on the side of the mountain range. There were only two of them and they were surrounded by smaller hills and cliffs, so Bishop's men wouldn't be able to find them unless they new the exact location. On the outside of the warehouses was a large clearing filled with gentle grass and wild flowers. Finn was dressed in a pro-bending uniform and was setting up a make-shift ring when she arrived. He smiled and gestured her forward into the ring. "Hey, you came!" he shouted excitedly, waving her forward. Anya couldn't help but chuckle at his child-like happiness as she made her way into the ring. Finn got down in a defensive position, his hands clutched into balled fists.

"Alright," he started. "I'll show you a few of my basic moves first and then we'll see if you're ready to try it yourself." Anya merely rolled her eyes at the boy and waited for him to go. Taking a deep breath, Finn focused his gaze in front of him. He slowly worked through a series of moves, spouting off arcs of fire the color of amber and gold. Anya watched, amazed, at how fluidly he did the motions. He made his way around the circle, until finally coming to a stop a few feet in front of the young earthbender.

"Wow! That's was amazing!" Anya exclaimed, genuinely surprised by his firebending capabilities. Jonny was slowly teaching her the basic moves of how to create fire, but he had never shown her that firebending could be so fluid and beautiful. Finn grinned at this and backed away a few feet, holding out his hands defensively.

"So, how about it?" he called over to her. "How about a little sparring match?" Anya smiled at this and got down in her earthbending position. Taking a deep breath, she opened up her second hearing, allowing the ground to be her guide. There was a split second of silence in which the two of them just analyzed each other. Finally, Finn made the first move. He spun in the air, sending a fire blast directly towards Anya. The young earthbender calmly moved her left foot and jerked her hands upwards. The fire was blocked by a solid wall of rock. She then jumped over the wall and landed on the other side, kicking up a boulder and sending it flying towards Finn. The firebender dodged it and replied by swiping his hand through the air, sending a wave of fire her way. With ease, Anya ducked underneath it, sliding on her knees, and coming up a few inches away from him. Just as she was standing up, Anya gripped her hand into a fist encrusted with rock, and punched the firebender lightly in the jaw. Finn flew backwards and hit the ground with a thunk. Smirking, Anya stood over him with her arms crossed. Blushing a little from embarassement, Finn suddenly lunged forward, his fists ablaze with fire. He shot off a stream of fire right towards her stomach. Not having the time to block with earthbending, Anya put her hands together and sliced through the fire, protecting her body from the flames. As the fire died down, she unclenched her hands and stood up straight, her eyes wide as she stared across the ring at Finn who was staring at her with awe and shock. Anya felt herself blush as she realized that she had just revealed her own secret to this pro-bending.

Before either one of them could say anything, a small airbender boy dropped from the sky, landing in between them. He turned to Anya and handed her a small piece of paper. Happy to have a distraction from her major mistake, Anya opened it as the airbender took off again into the sky. The letter read:

_You are to report to the dojo tomorrow morning to be debriefed on your next mission._

_Jonny._

Anya could feel herself smile, but when she looked up to that Finn was standing a few feet in front of her, reading the note upside down, her smile froze on her face. "I got that note too," Finn suddenly said, looking into her eyes. "Looks like we're on a mission together..." Anya felt her stomach drop as she realized that her secret would soon be leaked out...

**Ila's POV/ Misty Palms Oasis**

"Hey you cheated!"

Standing over the young woman was a large, sweaty man with beady eyes and a sand-bending uniform. He had banged his fist against her table, and was flexing his muscles and trying to intimidate her. She calmly took a sip from her glass, and didn't even bother to fully address him. "You lost fair and square…now piss off," she retorted, her voice low and quiet. The man's left eye twitched in frustration, his body going rigid. Ila took another drink of her mango drink before responding.

"Piss off," she said once again, this time a little more forcefully. The man grunted and hit the table so hard it broke in half. The room went quiet as the varied customers looked at the two of them with slight excitement and fear. The man loomed over the small woman, his teeth clenched and spit flying from his open mouth. However, Ila didn't even flinch, she just looked up at the man with a cold expression on her face.

"Give me my money back you bitch!" he roared. Ila rolled her eyes and slowly stood up in an extremely calm manner.

"You lost your money to cards," she answered calmly and slowly. "Maybe if you knew how to play blackjack you wouldn't have lost all of your money." The man's face turned a splotchy red and blue shade. He pushed the broken table out of the way and clenched his fists.

"Give it back or I swear I'll show you the meaning of pain," he growled. Ila looked up at him with a sly smile, and suddenly she grabbed his left hand and popped it out of its socket. In a mere second she had him on his knees howling in pain. Ila tilted her head curiously to the side, her eyes narrowed. With the other hand she picked up her glass and took a leisurely drink from it. After a moment of nothing but the man's howls echoing through the small bar. Finally she sighed and released his hand. He groaned for another minute, and slowly got back up to his feet with tears streaming down his face. Just then, he made a swing for Ila's face. The young woman ducked and swept his legs out from underneath him. The man fell back to the floor in a heap, but before he could get up Ila knocked him out with a single blow to the collarbone. She stood up straight and looked around the bar. The other customers were all standing around with fearful expressions on their faces. Just then, the door swung open behind and she turned to see a familiar face standing there with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?" Taru whispered, pulling her away from the looming customers and out into the daylight. Ila squinted in the bla?ing sun, the heat penetrating her tanned skin.

"I was getting us some money, we're almost out," she answered gruffly, pushing past the young man with indifference. Taru rolled his eyes and walked beside her.

"Then we'll take odd jobs, but you can't just gamble away all of our money," he stated, however, Ila was barely listening to him. Instead, she was counting out the cash with a calculating expression spread across her face.

"It looks like we have enough to pay for our rent this month now, and extra for some food," she stated, pocketing the money and turning to her roommate and friend. Taru folded his arms over his chest and stared at Ila with a knowing look on his face. The woman raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip stubbornly. "What?" she demanded.

"Ila," he warned, his voice low. "I know it has been a while since you last went looking…"

"Don't start," she warned. However, Taru wasn't about to let her get away that easy. Every month, after she had made enough money, Ila would take off and disappear for a few weeks looking for her family wherever she could. It has been a while since she last got to adventure out (her last venture being Serpent's Pass), and Taru could tell that she was getting antsy; and when she got antsy she took it out on everybody around a bad attitude.

"You can't keep doing this, Ila," Taru said for the fiftieth time in a row, walking by her side back through the small, dusty town, back towards their small shack of a house.

"And what exactly do you think I should do, Taru?" she demanded, waving him away callously. "I should just stay here and forever catch skippers? I need to find my family, and the only way I will be able to do that is by one city at a time…" Taru sighed and followed her into the small house. She rolled up the money she had won and stuffed it into a spare coin jar on the bookshelf. Ila then turned to the opposite wall and examined it through narrowed eyes. The wall was covered in maps and photos with string and thumbtacks stuck in it. The sandbender walked over and plopped down in one of the rickety dining chairs; he was looking at the map with a raised eyebrow.

"Where are you going next?" he asked with a breathey sigh.

"Omashu."

**Fay's POV/ Republic City**

"Halt! Where do you think you're going?"

The voice echoed behind them, and the two slowly spun around to see the Police Chief standing there, his arms folded across his chest. Kay cleared her throat, adding an accent to throw him off. "We were assigned to patrol tonight, sir," she stated, her voice clearly fake. The Chief frowned at this and took a few steps forward, gazing at the two through narrowed eyes. Finally, he spoke:

"As you were...," he said, brushing past them. The two spies watched as he walked around the corner, each one releasing a breath of relief.

"Who is _that_?" Kay whispered, gazing after the man. Fay shook her head silently, feeling a sense of foreboding around the Chief. There had been word around the city that Bishop had fired his previous Chief of Police for being too gentle to the fugitive benders, and it looked like he had hired a new man.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Fay stated, pulling Kay forward. Together, they made their way back down the elevator and into the main lobby. The crowd of non-benders had thinned, but a few were still skulking around, murmuring to themselves about their hard work. Just as the two passed the first set of desks, Fay suddenly grabbed Kay and pulled her to the side, her face scrunched up in fear under her mask.

"What?" Kay hissed angrily. Fay looked around the row of desks and stared, shocked, at the blonde woman walking in through the door with the Chief of Police by her side. "What are you staring at? Let's _go_!" Kay tried to push Fay forward, but the firebender was frozen in place. The blonde woman was walking towards them, her hair flipped to the side and her bright amber eyes glowing with some unforseen joke.

"That's Kate," Fay whispered. "My sister..."

**Finn's POV/ The Underground**

He had been shocked at the sight of Anya firebending, her hands splitting the flames without burning. And when she had stood up straight and refused to look him in the eye, Finn knew; Anya is the Avatar. After getting the note, she immediately turned around and stormed away from his makeshift ring. Finn followed, watching her hair dance as she walked quickly back to the manhole. She pushed it open with her metalbending and then slid down the ladder without looking at him. "Wow...so you're the-" Finn started, but was interrupted by a raised hand from Anya.

"I'm not going to talk about it," she said, trying to end the conversation. Finn picked up his pace and walked by her side, trying to look her in the eyes.

"None of us thought the Avatar was still alive," he said, still in shock over the idea that this rich girl was the whole reason he joined the Rebellion. "We all thought you were gone forever." Anya pushed past him, still not meeting his gaze.

"You weren't supposed to see that," she stated, rounding the corner.

"But why are you keeping it a secret?" Finn asked, needing to know how and why. "You are the reason I joined the Rebellion." Anya suddenly stopped in her tracks and whirled around, looking Finn straight in the eye. The firebender saw that there was a sadness there she wasn't showing, and he could see that she was trembling out of anger and fear.

"Because!" she practically shouted. "My family was separated, and are god-knows-where right now! Because all my life I thought bending was this horrible illegal thing, and now suddenly I'm the poster child for a cause I was forced in to! Because, suddenly, I'm expected to fix everything and know everything! Because I now have this horrible power inside me that I can't even sort-of control! Because..." Anya suddenly stopped and closed her eyes before turning her back to Finn. "Because I never wanted to be the Avatar..." Finn watched her carefully and walked around, facing her. Anya's head was hung and she was staring at her feet, a single tear falling down her cheek. With a sad smile, Finn put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"The world's been waiting for you," he whispered. "Benders have been hunted and imprisoned and are ready to stand up and fight!" Anya looked up at him, her eyes full of exhaustion and sadness.

"And what happens if I fail?" she whispered desperately. Finn smiled and squeezed her shoulder, looking her directly in the eyes.

"You won't, because you'll have help," he responded. He then smiled and gave her a teasing wink. "Don't worry, you're secret's safe with me...but they're gonna find out sooner or later." Anya smiled and wiped her cheek. Standing up tall, she nodded her head and shook his hand.

"Alright, we've got a debriefing to get to..."

**Anya's POV/ The Underground**

They finally made it back to the Underground where they immediately went to the dojo. Glancing over at the ever-cheerful Finn, Anya couldn't help but feel glad that somebody else knew about her true identity. He held the door open for her as they walked in, and they were greeted by Jonny standing there with two other people. He gestured Finn and Anya forward, his face set with a serious expression. "Good, you're all here," he started in a business-like fashion. He gestured to the two other people in the room. "Anya this is Tasha, one of the engineers, and this is Corey, one of the pilots." Anya nodded at Tasha, who she had met before, and shook the quiet man's hand. Corey the pilot was a muscular man with dark hair that was shaved on the sides. His eyes were dark and mysterious, as was his demeanor. Tasha, however, was the small loud blonde girl she had been before. She looked at Anya with a smirk.

"Ready for your first mission, princess?" she asked. Anya rolled her eyes at the engineer and turned to Jonny, her determined expression set.

"When do we leave?" she asked.

Jonny cleared his throat and gave her a sad look. "At dawn," he answered. "So go get packed and meet back here in a few hours."

Jonny cleared his throat and gave her a sad look. "At dawn," he answered. "So go get packed and meet back here in a few hours."

Anya followed the others back into the city and went to the airbender home where Leah and Jinora were waiting for her with a surprise chocolate cake. She walked forward and gave them both hugs.

"Wow, this is really nice!" she exclaimed, taking a finger scoop of frosting and licking it.

"Are you excited for your mission?" Leah asked, her eyes bright. Anya smiled nervously and stuffed a jacket and some socks into a small pack.

"Yeah, I guess," she murmured. Jinora walked over and put a reassuring hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"You'll be great!" she stated with a smile. Anya had a piece of cake before waving good-bye to her temporary family and heading out onto the sewer streets. Just as she was turning around the corner, she found herself nearly running in to Finn. He was standing there with wide eyes and a goofy grin. Rolling her eyes, Anya merely pushed past him in an annoyed fashion. Finn followed like a little puppy, jogging by her side.

"So, what's it like?" he asked out-of-the-blue. Anya ignored this question and continued forward through the Underground.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes narrowed and facing forward. Finn kept up his pace and gave her a big smile.

"How does your powers work?" he asked peevishly. "Have you gone into the Avatar State yet? Have you met any of your past lives? What's the Spirit World like? Have you mastered firebending yet?" Anya sighed and stopped in her tracks. She turned to Finn with her eyes narrowed and her hands on her hips.

"Okay, let's get something straight," she stated clearly. "I'm _barely_ the Avatar. I've never gone into the Avatar State. I have yet to meet _one_ past life. I've never been to the Spirit World. And I'm still training in firebending and I haven't even started in Air or Water." She pointed an accusatory finger at Finn and narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Don't talk about it any more; somebody might overhear you, and I can't let anyone know yet." Finn sighed at this and gave her a frustrated expression.

"Is that because _you_ don't want to tell anyone, or because _Jonny_ doesn't want you to tell anyone?" he asked. Anya clenched her jaw at this and shook her head in denial.

"He just wants me to keep it quiet for now until I've gotten a bit stronger," she answered stoically. However, as she said this outloud, it occurred to her that she didn't want to remain a secret. She _hated_ the fact that she was lying to people who were counting on the Avatar's return. But she had to listen to Jonny. He knew what was best for her. So, she simply pushed past the firebender boy and opened the door to the dojo. Everyone was waiting, so they merely joined the group then followed Tasha back through the city and out into the world. It was dark outside, but Anya could see the sun just beginning to rise above the hori?on. They trekked the distance to the warehouse where Micah was getting the plane ready. Corey, the pilot, quickly jogged over and began helping him. As soon as Anya stepped near him, he pulled down his goggles and wiped a smudge of oil off his cheek.

"Hi Anya," he said cheerfully, sniffing. Anya felt herself blush a little and pushed her hair out of her face.

"Hi Micah," she responded. Just then, Finn walked up and raised an eyebrow at the two. With a knowing smile, he pushed past Anya and walked over to help Corey. Rolling her eyes at the firebender, Anya continued to address the engineer with gusto.

"So, you're going out on a mission, huh?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Anya nodded her head enthusiastically.

"Yep, to fix some of the pylons," she responded. Micah opened his mouth to say something when Corey honked the plane horn and Tasha shouted:

"C'mon princess! We need to get going!"

Sighing, Anya turned back to the young engineer and gave him an apologetic look. "I'll see you later," Micah responded, waving. Waving back, Anya climbed into the back of the plane and buckled herself in. The engines roared as Corey began pulling levers and pushing several buttons. Anya watched as the warehouse and Micah got smaller and smaller as her group began ascending into the clouds...

**Fay's POV/ The Underground**

Kay whipped her around the corner and stared hard into her eyes through the mask. "What do you mean she's your sister?" she hissed, holding Fay back. The spy looked over the redhead's shoulder and looked at her younger sister. Fay hadn't seen Kate in over 4 years, since Bishop began rising to political power. When their parents died while they were young, Fay was forced to take care of the younger Kate, and the two had to live off the streets and fend for themselves. After Bishop began accruing followers and a standing in the political game, Kate became interested and insisted on joining him. Fay was hesitant, but she allowed her younger sister to follow him. Another three years when by and Ba Sing Se was brought to a heel under the New Republic's rule and the ambitious Kate was working her way up the political ladder. Meanwhile, Fay was working on her combat skills and doing a few odd security jobs here and there, spying for anyone who was paying-sometimes even for the Triad. It was when Kate began spying for the New Republic that Fay recogni?ed the fact that her sister was going down the wrong path. When she confronted her sister, Kate had stormed out claiming that Fay was a hipocrate. Fay hasn't seen her since.

Watching her, Fay couldn't help but feel like she lead her sister to this. She allowed Kate to become this person who worked for the evil Bishop. She allowed her sister to walk away. With a sigh, Fay turned back to Kay with a sad look on her face. "We have to get out of here!" Kay hissed, tugging on Fay's sleeve anxiously. Finally, Fay nodded her head and pulled her mask back over her head. Together, the two casually made their way through the lobby area. As Fay passed her sister, she couldn't help but look over at her. Just as she glanced over, Kate glanced her way, and her eyes lit up with a cruel kind of smile. Everything seemed like it was going in slow motion as the two sisters passed each other. Suddenly, Kate made a strange move with her arm and Fay instinctively ducked just as Kate made a jab towards her head. Everything came together quickly and Fay flipped backwards out of the way, Kay was pushed to the side. The room seemed to spring to life as Kate climbed onto the nearest desk and glared at Fay with narrowed eyes.

"Hello, dear sister," she said, her mouth turned upwards into a sadistic smile. Fay pulled off her mask and glared over at her sister.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked, unable to help herself. Kate chuckled darkly as the other non-benders in the room began surrounding the two spies. Kay turned and went back-to-back with Fay, her hands out defensively.

"You always wore that stupid necklace mom gave you all those years ago," she pointed out. Fay looked down and nearly slapped herself at the sight of the old locket poking out from her uniform. Fay clenched her fists together, getting ready for a fight.

"C'mon! We don't have time for a family reunion!" Kay shouted. She then pulled back her arm and let loose three sharpened darts. The three non-benders coming forward all ducked, but one was hit and pinned against the back wall. Fay brought her hands up to her mouth and bellowed harshly, fire spewing from her mouth. The non-benders all jumped out of the way, giving Kay and Fay enough room to get out of the center of attention. Flipping over two non-benders, Fay dodged the jabs and electrical wires thrown at her, as she tried to get out of there. Kay sidestepped a few non-benders before jumping over them and making it towards the double doors. Fay turned to follow, however, was stopped by Kate who slid in front of her. Her younger sister's eyes glinted maliciously as she put up her hands threateningly.

"C'mon Fay!" she shouted over the chaos. "Aren't you going to say good-bye before you leave?" Fay put up her hands defensively, but she wouldn't have been able to fight if her life depended on it. Kate was her sister. Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes and thought about how she could have saved her sister from this life. With a sad expression, Fay suddenly swirled a bla?e of fire around her body, twirling until it grew larger and larger, encompassing her whole figure and pushing the non-benders back against the walls. She pushed her hands outward and the flames followed, forcing the attackers to back away, giving her a clear path to the door where Kay was still waiting with the door wide open.

"C'mon!" she shouted once again, waving her over. Fay looked to the left to see her sister's new blonde hair and vivid blue eyes staring at her through the lick of the flames. After a long moment, Fay finally put her hands down and sprinted out the door, the flames encompassing the room as the door slammed shut...

**Finn's POV/ Trading Village**

They arrived in the small trading village in a few short hours. When they touched down near the pylon, Finn immediately jumped out and stretched all of his limbs. Anya and Tasha followed suit whereas Corey immediately jumped down and began tinkering with the engine and wings. The firebender followed Tasha to the pylon, his eyes fixated on Anya the whole time. Her long dark hair flowed behind her in tendrils as she walked, and he could tell that she felt his ga?e, yet he did not waver. He was still dumbfounded at the idea of this princess being the Avatar. She turned around and gave him a mean look before facing forward and addressing Tasha who was standing in front of the large pylon. A belt was hooked around her waist and she pulled out a pliars and screwdriver. She used the pliars to unhook a door from the pylon side and began messing with the wires. She glared at the wires, as if angry at them for some reason, and pushed two together just to have them kick up a spark in retaliation. Swearing a little at this, the young engineer grabbed her radio from her belt and pressed the talk button.

"Hey cousin," she started, leaning against the pylon. "It looks like this one has a blown fuse. I'm gonna need to take some extra time on this...those damn Bishop followers are getting smart." She turned back to the large pylon pillar and began pulling things out of the control box. Glancing at the other two she gave them an exasperated look. "This is going to take a while. Why don't you go do some recon to make sure we're alone out here." Nodding, Finn pulled his pack up onto his shoulder and began hiking towards the Northeast with Anya the Avatar by his side. They hiked in silence for a while, coming upon a large hill that overlooked the small village where merchants and civilians were busy with their day-to-day chores.

"So...," Finn started, however, Anya gave him a nasty look.

"You have _got_ to stop asking me about it," she sighed, rolling her eyes and folding her arms across her chest. Finn stared at her, an idea forming in his mind. Giving her a wide smile he nodded over his shoulder towards the clearing.

"You're training in firebending, right?" he asked. Anya merely raised her eyebrow as affirmation. Grinning, the firebender boy gestured for Anya to follow and led her into the clearing. She was giving him a curious look and had her arms folded over her chest. Stepping a few yards away from the Avatar, Finn spun around and lit his fists on fire. "You need a few lessons with me." Anya raised her eyebrow at this and scoffed skeptically.

"Jonny is training me," she stated. "You know...the leader of the Rebellion...the guy with the shaved head and scary expression." Finn laughed at this and shrugged his shoulders.

"He's good," he admitted. "But he's not a pro-bender."

"What's so great about that?" she asked skeptically.

"Pro-bending might just be a sport," he stated. "But it teaches you to think on your feet, how to react without hesitation, how to be fast and flexible." He raised his hands and made a teasing expression at her. "So, how about it? This clearing is far from the town, and Tasha needs some time to work on the pylon. So...how about it..princess.." Anya looked at him for a long minute before cracking a smile and getting in a fighting stance.

"Alright then," she called over to him. "Take your best shot!" Finn smirked at this and for a second everything was still and quiet. He watched her carefully, noting how she leaned a little to the left. Without wasting a second, he shot off a fire blast towards her middle, and as she was busy blocking that, he somersaulted the distance between them and swept her legs out from under her with a wave of flames aimed at her feet. Just as she was backing up to avoid it, he vaulted over her and tripped her easily. She fell to the ground with a grunt and looked up at him with a shocked expression. Grinning, he took a few steps back and gestured for her to attack. Finn chuckled to himself at the determined look on her face, and he watched as she copied his move and shot off two rounds of fire blasts at him. Finn automatically put his hands out in front of him and blocked the blasts before they hit his face. Just as he cleared the fire, he looked to see that Anya was no longer in front of him. A burst of heat could be felt right above him and he looked up just in time to see Anya flipping above him and shooting off a flame thrower in mid-air. Finn blocked it just in time and rolled out of the way; the two ending up on opposite sides. Finn slowly got to a standing position and smiled at the beautiful princess.

"You're a fast learner," he complimented. Anya merely gave him a smirk of a smile. Finn chuckled at this and got back down in his fighting stance. "Alright, let's try it again..."

**Jonny's POV/ The Underground**

He was standing over the maps on the table in the council room. He was alone, but not for very long. Just as he was about to pack up his things and call it a night, when the doors burst open and in came a haggard looking duo of spies. Both women were dressed as Republic non-bender soldiers, and both looked like they had just gotten through a fight and ran 10 miles. "What happened?" Jonny asked immediately, turning to Fay and Kay. Fay sighed and pushed back her matted hair. The firebender could see that there was something wrong, but she hid it well and pulled out a file folder from her pack and handed it to Jonny. With a raised eyebrow, Jonny opened it up and shifted through the papers. Kay was giving him a knowing look as she put her hands on her hips.

"It looks like Bishop is moving his troops from the Fire Nation Capital to the Southern Air Temple," Kay stated out loud as Jonny read this. Jonny felt a panic fill his stomach and he immediately looked up at Fay. She was wearing the same expression.

"Do we have anyone posted there right now?" Kay asked desperately. Jonny shook his head and immediately began sifting through the different maps on the large round table. He made sure that there were none of their people at the temple before turning back to the two female spies. He crossed his arms over his chest and scratched his chin in thought.

"I'll have to talk to the other commanders tomorrow," he stated. "But we might be able to do something while Bishop's eyes are on the temple."

"The airbenders won't like the idea of sacrificing their temple for the Capital," Kay huffed, pushing a hand through her short hair. Jonny looked up at the two and waved them away, dismissing them.

"Go ahead and get some sleep," Jonny stated while continuing to stare at the large world map. "I've got some work to do." Kay gave him a mock salute as she backed quickly out of the council building. Before Fay could leave, Jonny caught her arm and stared knowingly into her eyes. "What happened?" he asked seriously, his eyes boring into the woman. Fay sighed and gave him an extemely sad look. Jonny kindly gestured towards the chair and Fay flopped down in it, her beautiful face scrunched up with sadness and her cheeks smeared with dirt and sweat.

"My sister is working, as a spy, for Bishop," she stammered, her eyes beginning to tear up. Jonny sat down at this, vaguely remembering a younger version of Fay being tailed by a wide-eyed kid sister. Folding his hands over the table, he leaned in and quietly ga?ed at Fay, allowing her to continue. "We grew up together and were as thick as thieves. Our parents were killed by a waterbender and that destroyed the image of benders for my sister. When I discovered my firebending, Katie grew apprehensive and angry. She joined the New Republic believing that everyone deserves to be equal and that benders should be accountable for their actions. I tried everything to stop her, but she wouldn't listen. When you asked me to join the Rebellion that was her last straw. She rose through the ranks of the New Republic and severed ties with me completely. I haven't talked to her in three years..." Jonny gave her a sympathetic look and gently took her hand in his. Her hand was familiar in his. With a smile, he squee?ed gently and looked meaningfully into her eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear about that," he said genuinely. "What are you going to do?" Fay sighed and pushed back her long hair and stared off into the distance for a silent moment before slowly standing up and nodding to Jonny.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "But I haven't slept or eaten for two whole days. First, I'm going to take care of myself." She gave Jonny a weary smile before making a quick exit. Jonny was left there silent, his thoughts reeling. Finally, he turned back to his maps and began thinking up a plan for his commanders...

**Anya's POV/ Onji Island**

"C'mon Anya! Don't think, just act!"

Anya dodged a fast fire blast from Finn and spun around, sending one right back. Finn easily sidestepped the bla?e before jumping in midair and send a shot spiraling towards her from straight above. Anya put up her hands above her head and pushed apart the flames before rolling forward and dodging his flying punch. Finn landed roughly on the ground and slowly stood up, holding his hands before him. Anya was grinning ear-to-ear, enjoying the physical exertion that it cost her. She pushed her body faster, forcing her mind to think quicker. Without hesitation, she crouched and sent a wave of flames towards his feet. Finn turned around just to be knocked off his feet and onto his side. Grunting, he immediately jumped to his feet, but it was too late. As he was getting up, Anya blasted herself with fire jets to push her faster across the distance and punched him square in the chest. Finn flew backwards and grunted as he hit the rock behind him. Smiling, Anya relaxed her stance and helped Finn up to his feet. His breathing was haggard but he gave her a bright smile.

"Wow! You're really improving quickly!" he exclaimed, stretching his limbs as his breathing returned to normal. Anya stretched her own arms, smiling at the sky. She enjoyed this new form of fighting. It was faster, smarter, and more fluid. Letting out another punch into the air, she sent a wave of flames towards the sky, expressing how happy she was. Finn chuckled at this and gave her a nod.

"So, how do you feel about me now?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest. Anya nodded her head and gave him an apologetic look.

"I know I was a bit harsh on you, and I'm sorry," she admitted to him. She then stood up straight and gave him a respectful bow. "Thank you for teaching me...Master Finn..." Finn smiled at this and gestured over his shoulder back towards the large pylon jutting into the sky.

"C'mon Pupil Anya, Tasha's probably waiting for us."

Together, they walked back to the pylon where Corey was leaning against his plane and Tasha was staring up at the pylon with a disgusted look on her face. At the approaching firebenders, she rolled her eyes and made a disapproving clicking sound. "You two trained for a long time...," she said, trailing off a little in an obvious fashion. "Couldn't be bothered to come back and help out, huh?" Finn merely smiled at the small woman's attitude and shrugged his shoulders.

"You didn't look like you needed a lot of help when we left," he stated, looking up at the pylon. Tasha sighed and pushed her short hair out of her face before pointing towards the very top where an opening, it was flapping in the wind and it looked very broken.

"The second circuit box up top is broken and I need to get up there to fix it," she stated with an annoyed voice. Anya raised an eyebrow and tried to calculate how far up that was. Shrugging her shoulders, she hit her foot against the ground and she was launched into the air. As she flew through the air, her hair was blew past her face, and she felt a surge of excitement fill her heart, and she just barely caught the first rod before falling to her death. She gripped hard on the rod and began ascending towards the broken circuit breaker. As she climbed, she paused before the top and snuck a peak at the bottom. Down below Finn, Corey, and Tasha were looking up at her. Their figures like ants below. Despite being so far up, Anya didn't feel a lot of fear. Heights never bothered her...and she had always enjoyed the feeling of wind on her face. Smiling, Anya continued stepping up and up before sitting on the final step and gently touching the damaged box. The wires were all cut cleanly and the box door looked like it had been forced open. Frowning, Anya hummed a little in thought before looking down.

"What do you see!" Tasha shouted from the ground. Anya shook her head and pushed her hair back out of her eyes.

"It looks like someone broke it open!" she shouted. "The wires are cut clean!" She looked down to see Tasha speak with Finn and Corey before looking back up at her.

"We're going to have to change the wires!" she shouted. "Come back down!" Anya was about to slide back down the pylon when a movement on the hori?on caught her eye. She turned and her jaw dropped as she witnessed fighter planes and war balloons sail across the sky. Through the trees, Anya could just make out the horde of ships that were sailing across the waters. A massive weight fell into the pit of her stomach and she immediately dropped down to the ground, taking two rungs at a time. Anya landed with a soft thump on the ground, rolling to a stop and hastily getting back up to her feet. Finn noticed the look on her face and stepped forward.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice concerned. Anya's eyes were wide as she pointed over to the West were the ships were coming from.

"I think I know why your pylon is broken..."

**Jonny's POV/ The Underground**

All of his commanders were sitting silently around the table, their expressions of a variety of degrees in shock and determination. It was Jinora who spoke next, her gentle face twisted in concern and anger. "Jonny, I need to go to the Temple," she stated fiercely. Jonny frowned and nodded his head in affirmation.

"I agree," he stated. "Take Ketu, Leah, Milo; and Makkarri, Kyo, Aisha, and David . I'll also call back Feng and Ikki from their away missions and send them your way. And as soon as Finn gets back, I'll send him as well." Jinora bowed to him and turned around just as she was about to leave she turned to Jonny with a pleading look on her face.

"Please make Leah stay here," she stated, her eyes narrowed in concern. "I don't know how it's going to go at the temple, and I don't want to take the risk." Looking into the mother's eyes, Jonny couldn't help but agree to these terms. He didn't have any daughters...but he knew what it was like to care about someone and not want them in harms way.

"She can stay here with Lila," he said gently. Jinora gave him a grateful look before turning away and hastily making her exit. Jonny was left standing in front of his commanders who were looking at him with expectancy. Makki cleared her throat.

"Do you really think this is the best idea?" she questioned with skepticism. Jonny pointed towards the Fire Nation and stared down his peers.

"The Fire Nation Capital will be guarded by a skeleton crew and will be the most vulnerable. It's our best chance to invade," he persuaded enthusiastically. The others all glanced at each other with different expressions. Ryuu cleared his throat and stood up. He nodded at his leader and turned to the others with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I agree with Jonny," he stated to the others. "We won't get another chance like this again." The others murmured amongst themselves before Makki nodded her head and gently hit the table with her fist, her eyes bright and her mouth turning up in a large grin.

"Alright then, how are we going to pull this off?" she asked. Jonny smiled at this and leaned over the large map.

"The first thing we do is split our troops into three groups..."

**Finn's POV/ Republic City**

As soon as they saw the horde of troops making their way across the sea towards the Southern Air Temple, they skipped the rest of their mission and immediately headed back for Republic City. When they finally got the the Underground, the group was treated to an organi?ed chaos of benders that were busy running to and from their homes, determination and fear on their faces. Anya looked at Finn with wide eyes and without saying anything they ran towards the council building where the lights were bright and people were hurrying in and out of the double doors. Anya was ahead and she pushed open the doors to reveal maps and floor plans lining the walls and floors. People from different departments were crowding the inside, and Jonny was at the head of it, making soft commands and leading the charge. Anya walked up to him, her eyes wide.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "We just saw troops heading towards the Southern Air Temple." Jonny moved around her and picked up a map, his eyes focused on the maps in front of him.

"Bishop has decided to move his troops from the Fire Nation Capital to attack the Temple," he said, confirming their fears. Anya's eyes grew wide and she glanced at Finn with a terrified expression. Moving past her, Jonny addressed the young firebender boy.

"You are to report to Jinora immediately," he stated. "I'm sending you out with her and several others. Go meet her at the dojo." Finn nodded his head and turned to leave. He glanced back at the Avatar who gave him a silent, sad nod. Giving her a shrug, Finn made his exit and headed towards his new mission...

**Anya's POV/The Underground**

As soon as Finn left, Anya turned back towards her ex-guard and gave him a determined look. "What about me?" she demanded, keeping her voice calm while her insides screamed. "I should be helping at the temple, Jonny." The rebellion leader shook his head and pointed towards the Fire Nation map on the table.

"I need you to help us with attacking the Fire Nation Capital," he stated, pointing at the large dot on the map. "While the troops are focused on taking the Temple, we will take the Fire Nation back." Anya's jaw fell open at this and her eyes went wide.

"Are you sure that's the best idea?" she questioned, following him around the room. Jonny turned around at this and gave her a reassuring smile.

"I wouldn't send my troops in their if I didn't believe we could take it back," he said encouragingly. Anya sighed and looked at her feet for a moment. For some reason, she still felt nervous about it but she merely nodded her head and gave him a weary smile.

"So, what's my role in this?"

Jonny leaned against the table and pointed towards a female firebender with long dark hair and amber eyes. She was leaning against the back wall with her arms folded across her chest. In response to Jonny's gesture, she smiled and walked over, putting her hands on her hips and looking down at the Avatar with inquisitive eyes. "So, this is your earthbending princess...," she said in a friendly manner. Anya gave the woman a weary smile and bowed her head in respect.

"Anya, this is Rae a good friend of mine, and a Master firebender. She'll debrief you tonight and then we head out tomorrow at dawn," he said. Anya gave him a smile before turning to the master firebender who was busy consulting a map. Glancing at the young princess, she waved her hand in dismissal.

"Go get packed and get some rest and then meet us at the dojo tonight before dark." Anya glanced at Jonny before turning and making her exit. The young woman first went to the airbender house where only Leah was found. The young airbender was sitting up in her bed with a slight pout on her lips, her legs crossed and her arms folded in stubbornness.

"Where's Jinora?" Anya asked, looking around and noting the empty house. Leah huffed a little, blowing her hair back out of her face.

"Mom went to help defend the Southern Air Temple," she said through clenched teeth. "She's taken nearly all the airbenders with her...I should be there by her side..." Anya smiled sadly at this and sat down on the bed next to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure she'll be alright," she said, trying to reassure the girl. "Besides, we need your help at the Fire Nation." Leah sighed and stood up at this, her face in grim acceptance.

"You're right," she stated. She then suddenly broke out in a wide grin and punched Anya lightly on the arm. "You'll all be nothing without _my_ incredible expertise!" Anya chuckled lightly at this and then went and packed, changing her outfit into black pants with a red and grey jacket and sturdy boots. She looked in the mirror and pulled her hair back into a side braid, keeping it out of her face. She paced in her room for a few minutes before deciding that she wasn't going to get any rest. Anya and Leah left together, making their way through the city towards the dojo. The markets and shops were all dark, the only commotion that could be seen was surrounding the dojo. Together, they walked to the dojo where people were filing in and out with a variety of worry on their faces. Seeing Rae and Jonny talking in the corner, Anya separated from Leah and walked over.

"So, where am I posted?" she asked cheerfully, feeling the adrenaline already starting to kick in. Rae's smile became fixed on her face and she gave the firebender leader a strange glance before addressing the young Avatar.

"We will be guarding the warehouses on the outskirt of the city," she responded. Anya's eyes widened and she was silent as she digested this information. Seeing the look on her face, Rae excused herself and Anya turned to Jonny with a frustrated expression, her arms folded across her chest. Jonny sighed and gave her another look back.

"I know what you're going to say-"

"Jonny, why am I being benched?" she demanded. "I'm the Avatar, I should be out there helping!"

"You've never been on a real mission," he said logically. He then leaned in a bit and whispered: "This is going to be a pretty intense battle and I know that you haven't gotten your Avatar State down yet...I just don't want anything to happen that might set you off..." Anya sighed at this and pushed back her hair, her eyes closed. Finally, she let out another sigh and looked up at her ex-guard while nodding her head.

"Alright, I understand," she consented, stepping back. Jonny reached over and gave her shoulder a strong squee?e.

"I know you want to be a part of the action," he said quietly. "And you'll get there one day...you just have to be patient..." Jonny gave Anya one last smile before stepping into the middle of the room and whistling loudly, catching everybody's attention. As soon as the room was silent, he clapped his hands together and surveyed the room, noting every face.

"Today we raid the Fire Nation Capital!" he shouted excitedly, filling the room with tension. "I know that a lot of you are apprehensive about such an offensive move, but this is our only chance. While Bishop's forces are focused on the Southern Air Temple we can turn our attention to the Fire Nation. This will be our first step in making the world a safer place for everyone!" There were a few cheers around the room and Anya looked around to see the worried expressions from before completely vanished and replaced by expressions of hope and encouragement. Jonny looked around the room and gave them all a reassurring smile.

"We'll depart in four groups," he started. "Makki's team will be attacking from the bay in the submarines; Ryuu's team will be sneaking in and attacking from the inside of the first district; My team will be taking to the skies and dropping down on the main part of the city; and Rae's team will be guarding the warehouses during the raid." The leader paused for a few moments, taking in the faces that stared back at him. "Your team leaders will be standing ready for you. Please make sure that you have everything, said your good-byes, and checked in with them. We leave in the next hour!" He nodded at his commanders and stepped out of the limelight. Anya looked around and saw families and friends hugging tightly before walking towards their seperate teams. A tear crept into her eyes as she thought about her own family. Shaking it loose, she sniffed once before heading over to where Rae was standing in the corner with a few other people, including the blonde engineer. Tasha was standing there with her hands on her hips and her lip out in a pout. Anya stepped forward with a smile, but she was soon blushing as she saw that Tasha was with her two cousins. Micah turned around, his cheeks turning a bright red at her approach.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were with family," she stuttered, her eyes widening with embarassement. Tasha grinned at this and shrugged her shoulders.

"It looks like we're teammates," she stated, her arms crossed over her chest. She glanced at her cousins with a slight frustration. "I guess we're merely the second-string..." Anya was surprised to hear the bitterness in her voice. She was the only one who felt side-lined in the fight...She smiled at this and tried to keep her own frustration in check.

"C'mon Tasha!" Cid said, hitting the young engineer playfully in the shoulder. "We need you to help keep track of the warehouses. It's an important job!" Tasha rolled her eyes at this and punched him back a little harder.

"Right...while you guys get to work on comms devices in the city in the heart of the battle, I get to stand around a warehouse...great..." she said sarcastically. Cid gave her a look before rolling his eyes and walking away towards Jonny and the others. Micah gave his cousin a smirk before turning to Anya with a blushing face. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously and cleared his throat.

"So, you'll be guarding the warehouse, huh?" he asked, shuffling his feet. Anya smiled bashfully and shrugged her shoulder.

"I guess..."

"Hey, everyone's got to start at the bottom," he said, trying to cheer her up. Cid called his name from the other side of the room and Micah gave the young Avatar one last pat on the shoulder before turning and walking over to his cousin. Anya was left standing there, her gaze sweeping over the families and friends that were gearing up for a harsh battle. Spotting Scar near the edge, she went ahead and walked over, giving the earthbender a big grin.

"Are you ready?" she asked, her voice filling with excitement. Scar merely shrugged her shoulders in manner of her usual response. Together, the mentor and pupil watched over the crowd of people until Jonny whistled once again, indicating that everyone should form into their groups. Scar merely gave the young Avatar a nod before joining her own group. Rolling her eyes at the stoic earthbender, Anya joined her own group, noticing how most of the group consisted of younger rebellion members. Rae counted them off then gave a high-pitched whistle and began leading the wall through the sewers and up to the surface ground. The light of the moon broke down upon them as they all marched through the field. Makki's group had exited from the South sewer entrance while the other three marched through the clearing and towards the base of the mountain range. Anya climbed into the backseat of one of the passenger planes and watched as Dev and the others in Jonny's group got into the fighter planes. Noticing her stare, Dev gave the young Avatar a smirk before climbing in and putting down his goggles. Sighing, Anya faced forward and crossed her arms over her chest, frowning to herself. Just then, a young waterbender jumped into the seat next to her and chuckled at the look on her face.

"I can see you're not particularly happy about these arrangement either," she stated. Her eyes were bright and mysterious, and her mouth was upturned in a smirk. Anya shrugged her shoulders, trying to keep her temper at bay.

"I guess you could say that...," she trailed off, looking away from the girl to hide her frustration. The girl's laugh was like a rough bell as she chuckled at the young Avatar's discomfort.

"I know how you feel," she stated. Anya turned to the girl with a raised eyebrow. The girl was tying her pack tighter and hitching it over her shoulder.

"I told that firebender that I wanted a more serious role and look where he put me!" she exclaimed, shaking her head as if Jonny was the most idiotic person in the world. She grinned and gently nudged Anya in the shoulder in an attempt to cheer her up. "Don't let it get to you. This won't be the last battle we'll fight. Pretty soon our fearless leader will have no choice but to put us in the ring with the _real_ heavy hitters." Anya laughed at this, feeling a sudden pull towards the girl. She looked at her closer, feeling as if she knew her somehow...

Just then, it hit her. A vision blinked in front of her; it consisted of a strange man with wild brown hair tinkering with gears and inventions. She sat up quickly in her seat and gazed at the girl with new-found appreciation. "You're Varrick's granddaughter aren't you?" she asked suddenly. The girl raised an eyebrow at this.

"Well most people call me Kara...," she said, trailing off. "And you're the Earth King's daugher...an earthbender apparently. Wow, I'm sure you were your parents' _favorite_..." She smiled a little at this to show that she was being sarcastic. Anya shrugged her shoulders and gave the girl a small smile to indicate that she understood the teasing. The chuckled together a little as the engines of the plane began to speed up. The roar of all of the plane engines combined filled the warehouses and the double-wide doors flew open. Ryuu's plane was the first to leave, it being the quietest and fastest. They would be dropping into the city via parachutes while the rest doubled back to the warehouses outside of the Capital. Then it was Anya's plane. Vera was in the front seat piloting the thing. Anya watched as the landscape began to slowly get smaller and smaller until the plane was on the same level as the fluffy clouds. Jonny's plane banked and vanished into the whiteness. With a sigh, Anya sat back and let her hair spill over her back as the wind hit her in the face...

**Finn's POV/ Southern Air Temple**

They landed in the courtyard of the Air Temple, having gone through the back way. The path from the temple to the main road was covered in Bishop's troops. The plane landed outside the area where the air bison were tethered together in the stables. A few acolytes greeted them and hurried them along to the main area of the temple where pillars outlined a large stone awning and created a large open space. The temple acolytes were running around with fearful expressions, their orange and red robes swaying in the wind. The sky up ahead was a beautiful mix of blues and oranges, and it would be an incredible sight if the Republic ships weren't blocking their view...The black platinum ships were sitting their, along with the war balloons and fighter planes. Aisha was standing next to him and she stared out at the oncoming intruders with a serious expression on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. "This isn't going to be easy, is it?" she asked, her voice low. She glanced at Finn with dark eyes. Finn held back his fear and merely smiled at the young earthbender. He patted her on the shoulder in a reassuring manner and turned her back away from the attackers and towards the rest of the team and harried acolytes.

"We'll do everything we can to save the temple," he responded. Aisha sighed once again but took this answer. He walked over and helped Jinora and Makkarri tie down the plane and store the supplies in the nearby hall. Jinora immediately ushered everyone into the main prayer room and gathered together the head acolytes and his guard. The head acolyte was an old monk with a long white beard and large meditation beads around his neck. His forehead was naturally wrinkly from age, but at this moment he was looking especially worried. He fiddled with his fingers in his hands, his eyes downcast.

"They have yet to attack," he informed them. "But I fear that they will soon approach." He looked around at the team that had assembled, his gaze skeptical. "Is this all of you?" He asked this with a tone of fear in his voice. Jinora sighed and nodded her head, glancing at her feeble team number.

"Yes, but I assure you that they are the best in their fields," she stated, bending the truth slightly. She then cleared her throat and gestured to the acolytes that stood in line behind the head man. "My sister and a few more should be here by tomorrow. Until then, we'll set up a perimeter and begin scanning for any entries into the temple. We'll make sure that nothing happens." Finn watched the wise airbender carefully, noting how serene her face was yet he knew there was a storm underneath brewing. Jinora turned to Makkarri with a serious look. "I want you to keep watch on the South side; Aisha and Finn, take the East side; I'll take the North, and Kyo will take the West. I want Milo and Ketu to keep up the fort here and help the acolytes with anything they need." They all nodded their heads in agreement. Finn then joined Leah and together they walked towards the eastern side where the rocks shot up into the sky and a smaller meditation temple sat in the distance among the clouds.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Aisha asked the older firebender, her eyes wide with slight concern. Finn shrugged his shoulders and stared out into the never-ending sky.

"I think we'll be okay," he stated, trying to muster up a confident smile. Just as he said this, the clouds in the distance began to dissipate. Out of sheer nowhere flew three large metal war blimps and two fighter jets, heading straight for the temple at a break-neck speed. Aisha shouted and turned to Finn with a terrified expression.

"Go tell Jinora and the others!" Finn shouted towards the older firebender. Leah nodded her head solemnly and sprinted back into the temple courtyard. Finn faced the oncoming attackers with his body in a defensive position. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath, focusing the fire-power chi flowing through his muscles and veins. As the sun began to rise, he felt the power within himself rise with it. He opened his eyes, his palms lighting with fire...they would soon be here, and he would be fighting for his life...

**Anya's POV/ Fire Nation Capital  
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As soon as they touched down, Rae began designating a boundary and lookouts. Anya was set up at the front of the warehouses a mile out, looking over the airplane landing strip of dirt along with the young waterbender Kara. They were pacing back and forth in silence, each one focused on their own thoughts. Anya was beginning to feel confident in the mission when there was suddenly an explosion off in the distance. The two guards in front of the warehouse stopped and watched with wide eyes as the sky lit up with red and orange, and shouts were heard coming from the palace. Anya felt a tingle run down her back, and suddenly this war became so real. Kara whistled under her breath. "I hope everyone's okay," Anya whispered. Kara was looking almost longingly towards the explosion; she huffed under her breath.

"They're fine…," she muttered in a frustrated manner. "THEY get to be a part of the action…" Anya raised her eyebrow in curiousity and ga?ed at the girl.

"Aren't you worried?" she asked.

"Worried?" she asked, her voice sounding as if Anya was delusional. "I'm jealous! While we sit here looking at our feet, everyone else gets to fight off some Equalists."

"You would rather be out there facing bombs and parades of soldiers?" Anya asked with raised eyebrows. The young waterbender didn't even blink at his rebuff; instead, she just continued to bounce around, looking at the chaos going a few miles away with pure envy. Anya sighed and pushed her hair back as she ga?ed over at the hori?on towards the exploding lights and shouts.

"I would rather be out there helping my friends and protecting the innocent," she retorted quietly. Anya watched the war fireworks continue to go off, shaking the ground underneath her feet, and she understood what Kara was saying. She too hated the idea of her friends getting hurt, or worse. Just then, the sound of a sonic boom filled the air and the trees around them rustled. Anya put her hands out in front of her face, shielding her eyes from the blast that just erupted from nowhere. The young Avatar looked up at the sky which had just turned a nasty shade of orange and green, the clouds twirling in a sinister fashion. Looking over at the waterbender, Anya could see that something was wrong.

"Should we be doing something?" Anya asked, not bothering to conceal her concern.

"We have to stay on mission," Kara responded, however, it looked like she was feeling the same anxiety. Anya opened her mouth to say something, but just then there was a high-pitched whistle and Rae emerged from the bushes looking anxious and hurried. Anya could immediately sense something was wrong with the firebender.

"Something's wrong…," she whispered. Rae nodded her head and looked at the two of them.

"I have to go into the city and help the others on the beach. It looks like Bishop has got more troops in the city than we had originally thought," she said hurridly.

"You're going to need back up," Kara said, stepping up. Rae shook her head in response.

"No, I need you guys here protecting the warehouses," she answered. Giving the two of them a serious look, Rae turned and sprinted off into the darkness, leaving them alone a mile away from the warehouses, watching the fights go on in the city before their eyes.

A few minutes went by in silence in which Anya continued to look over at the lights going off in the darkness. She watched as one of the rebellion planes flew overhead the pilot out of sight. The young Avatar sighed and pushed her hair back. She HATED the fact that she was being left out of the fight. She stifled her moans and continued to pace up and down the runway. Her waterbending companion raised her eyebrow at this and cleared her throat.

"So, how did you get into the rebellion, princess?" Kara asked curiously. Anya clenched her jaw, hating being called 'princess'. However, she shrugged the slight off. She WAS technically a princess...

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "The same way you did."

Kara scoffed at this, making Anya raise an eyebrow in defiance. Kara shook her head in disbelief. "You did NOT get in the way the rest of us did," she retorted, almost angrily. "Most of us grew up on the streets here and had nowhere else to go. Jonny was the only one who gave us asylum; he was the only one who would take a chance on us." Anya didn't know how to respond to this, so she just looked down at her feet. It was true-she had no idea what these people had been through. She had lived in a sparkling castle her whole life in the safest area of one of the safest cities. The color in her cheeks rose.

"I'm…sorry," she mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed. Kara merely shrugged her shoulders and waved it off nonchalantly.

"It's just the way it is," she responded, getting back to her pacing. Just as the two turned back to their posts there was a loud rustle of tree leaves from out of the nearby forest and Anya and Kara turned with their defenses raised, just to see Anka and Tasha walk out with Ambrose lumbering behind them. Letting out a breath of relief, Kara gave them a bad look while putting her hands on her hips.

"Time to switch," Tasha said in a bored fashion. Kara sighed and walked with Anya around the warehouse to the back. There, Ambrose was laying nonchalantly on the ground; he had his tongue sticking out and yipped excitedly as Anya made her way over. She smiled when she saw the large horsedog and patted him on the head as she looked over the treetops. The night was wearing on, and as she watched the lights over the trees continued to explode in the night. She listened as the shouts get worse and worse, each cry ending painfully and abruptly. Pacing back and forth, Anya tried to contain her anxiety. She just wanted her friends to be okay...

Anya was kicking a rock around in the dirt when she noticed an unmistakable silence. Everything was too quiet…The birds stopped singing and the fighting in the distance was a lot quieter. Just then, she heard the sound of electricity run through the air and the hair on her neck stood up straight. Without even thinking, the young Avatar ducked just as a something electric whi?ed past her head. She turned around just in time to see three New Republicans wearing dark clothes and masks run from the bushes. Anya heard Kara shout out to the others, but she was already in defense mode. She cartwheeled to the left and send two boulders towards the oncoming chi-blocker. He flipped over the first rock but was caught off-guard by the second. Anya watched, impressed as Tasha ran out of the shadows and managed to bring one of the chi-blockers to their knees while Anka managed to take care of the other ones before Kara or Ambrose could run over. Tasha bound the men together and gripped the man with the large mustache by the chin. She narrowed her eyes at the man and jerked him roughly forward. Watching the tiny blonde engineer practically lift the grown man off his feet was almost comical, however, the man merely sneered back at her narrowed eyes.

"Are there any more of you?" she demanded with a hiss. The man's mouth split into a cruel grin and he looked up to Tasha with sadistic eyes.

"You have no idea what you're getting into…," he whispered. And just then there was a loud whirring sound, forcing Anya to look up in horror. Overhead were three large war balloons with five more fighter planes. Her jaw dropped and she turned to Tasha, waiting for some kind of guidance. The nonbender stood there, her mouth agape for a mere second before she turned around and grabbed out her radio. She began shouting off instructions in the radio while Anya ran after her.

"Tasha we need to go help," she stated, however, Lana put her hand up to stop her. She continued to yell at the radio, forcing Anya to wave her hands anxiously in the air. "We HAVE to go help!"

"Jonny and Rae said we're supposed to stay here," she retorted hurriedly. Anya rolled her eyes and ga?ed at the warehouse. Inside were two planes ready to go…and that's what fueled the young Avatar's idea. Without thinking through it again, she gritted her teeth and sprinted towards the warehouse. She ignored the shouts behind her and jumped into the pilot's seat of the first fighter plane.

"Anya, what are you doing?" Kara demanded, hurrying over with the rest of them close behind. Anya turned the dial and started up the engine.

"I'm going after them," she responded, pulling a pair of goggles over her eyes.

"But Jonny and Rae said-," Anka started.

"I can't just sit back and watch everything go to hell," Anya stated with conviction. Tasha saw the determination in her eyes and sighed while she backed away from the plane. Leah stepped forward and glanced at Kara and nodded her head. Both of them climbed into the back seats of the plane. Anya looked at them both curiously.

"We're not going to let you have all the fun," Kara said with a peevish twinkle in her eye.

"Besides…if you fly this thing yourself you'll probably end up killing yourself," Leah teased lightly. Anya smiled warmly at the two waterbenders and flipped a few switches, getting the plane to light up colorfully, the dials on the dashboard flickering into life. Tasha's hair was flung out of her face as she took a few more steps back, Ambrose following her lead and cocking his head in curiousity.

"I'll stay back here and see if there's anything I can do to get back in communication with the others," she shouted over the engine. The young waterbender, Anka nodded her head in agreement at this.

"And I'll stay behind to help," she stated, turning towards the warehouses and looking around to make sure there weren't any intruders.

"Uh…do you know how to drive this thing?" Kara asked, cautiously strapping herself into the seat. Anya grinned knowingly and shrugged her shoulders.

"My father made me take a few lessons…," Anya said slyly. She turned a few more dials, straightened out the wheel, and the plane began slowly picking up the pace down the runway. Anya felt her stomach knot up in anxiety as the plane began to ascend into the sky. For a split second, Anya felt her mind pull back to her memories where she had forced her father's lieutenant to teach her the different dials and knobs to flying a plane. She almost laughed as the aircraft swooped upwards, her hair whipping across her face and her heart pumping loudly in her ears with the rhythm of the engine...

**Jonny's POV/ Fire Nation Capital  
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He ducked behind one of the blockades as a bomb went off in close proximity. Looking back over the barricade, he saw a few of his men jump out of the way as another onslaught of non-benders pushed their way forward. A ringing in his ears confused him for a brief moment, but he shook it off and ran towards the other battlement a few yards away. There, David was waiting, ducking underneath the barricade. The younger firebender was grimacing as another blast exploded in front of them. Putting his back against the wall, Jonny glanced over David. "How are you doing?" he shouted over the noise. David shrugged his shoulders and then sent a fire ball up past the barricade, hitting a soldier dead-on. He ducked once again as another non-bender send back a boomerang.

"I'm alright," David shouted back nonchalantly. Jonny glanced over the barricade, staring at the palace ahead of them. They had landed in the heart of the volcano easily enough, but now they needed to get through the town to the palace. His intel had been a little off, and there were a lot more non-benders than they had planned. However, his fighters were doing well. Ryuu's team had sneaked in and attacked from the inside of the palace square. They had managed to take care of the palace guards and were advancing towards the others, blocking the non-benders in the upper city. There was a ring of silence in which, Jonny shouted at his soldiers and ran forward out of the barricade. He charged forward, ducking underneath the blade of an oncoming opponent and punching him in the gut. He then twisted around and let loose a large burst of flame towards three others. Running forward, he dodged a few more jabs before jumping and twisting around to make sure his soldiers were still following. Holding his arm up high, he yelled out in triumph as their enemies were brought to their knees. A few yards ahead near the palace square, Ryuu's team was cheering as well. Just as the last triumphant voice died, there was a loud silence, and then the sound of roaring engines forced Jonny to look skyward. Hovering above them was a large group of black metal blimps gliding through the clouds. They all had the Republic symbol on them. With wide eyes, Jonny looked back towards him men and shouted for them to move. He jumped forward, pushing his legs to the max just as small bombs were dropped down on them. The blast from one pushed him through the air as he jumped and he fell to the ground in a heap, his ears ringing painfully and his head smashed against the ground.

He glanced up and saw Ryuu's team suddenly become surrounded by non-benders. With a grunt, the firebender slowly got to his feet and pressed forward, the earth spinning before him. Just as he took his first few steps, he looked up and noticed two large blimps head towards the West towards the beach where the submarines were and three fighter planes head West where the Spirit Portal lay. Groaning, he rubbed his head and tried to focus his thoughts. He was torn between two hard places; either he help his men on the beach, or he help defend the Portal...spotting David, he pulled the younger firebender aside.

"Go help Ryuu!" he yelled. "Make sure his team makes it to the palace!" David nodded his head and took a few people with him as he sprinted off towards the Ryuu. Jonny then faced towards the West and began sprinting towards the palace. None of this would matter if the non-benders managed to break the Fire Nation's connection to the Spirit World. With that thought in mind, he pushed his legs faster...

**Finn's POV/ Southern Air Temple  
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He pushed his legs to go faster as he took a few running steps off the wall and leaped towards the oncoming non-benders. He twisted in mid-air and send a fire wave towards them. Just as he landed on the ground, Aisha picked up her foot and sent boulders flying from the earth towards two others. The first one hit, but the second man rolled and dodged, coming back up with a quick jab to her arm, rendering it useless. Finn quickly jumped over his fallen enemy and punched the non-bender out with a fist full of fire. Standing up straight, he looked over to see that a total of three war balloons had touched down-one on the west side, one on the east, and one on the north. They had managed to finish off one balloon, but in the distance he could see that Kyo was struggling by himself on the West, large flames flying high in the air. He turned to Aisha who was looking around, adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"Go help Jinora!" Finn shouted at her, pointing towards the North. "I'm going to find Kyo!" Aisha nodded her head and was off, sprinting towards the other end of the courtyard. Meanwhile, Finn turned and ran towards the commotion in the West where the second balloon had touched down. He ran underneath the arches and found Kyo surrounded by five non-benders with electric weapons. Without hesitation, Finn send a large fire blast towards two of the non-benders, breaking up the circle. He ran forward and turned back-to-back with Kyo, putting his hands out defensively. Kyo glanced back at the other firebender and smirked darkly.

"It's about time you showed up," he grumbled comically. Finn smiled at this and shrugged his shoulders. In unison, the firebenders let off large streams of fire from their palms, breaking up the circle of non-benders...

**Anya's POV/ Fire Nation Capital  
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Anya forced the plane to go at its top speed, aiming towards the city; and as she got closer, her eyes got wider. The city was abla?e with lights and sounds. Chaos ruled through the streets and Anya could see the planes and blimps hovering over the groups of people down on the street. Up ahead, a fighter plane was getting closer, and Anya looked back to see Kara carefully unfastening her seatbelt and climbing out onto the wing.

"What are you doing?!" Anya shouted over the roar of the engine. Kara smiled peevishly and pointed over at the blimp on the right.

"Somebody's got to take that massive thing down!" she shouted back. "I'll see you down on the ground!" And with that she launched herself off the wing of the plane towards the large metal flying machine. Anya watched as the young waterbender managed to land flat on the blimp's roof, and roll to a hault. Her arms were covered in water, and she sliced away at the metal roof. Anya was about to say something, but Leah stopped her.

"She'll be fine!"she shouted up to her. "Here, get close to that fighter plane." Anya did as she was told and angled the plane in a downward slope. By this time, the other aircraft in the sky had figured out that there was a rebel in their midst. Soon, the young Avatar found herself dodging missiles thrown by the fighter jets. Just as she angled the plane downward, and Leah unbuckled herself. She looked back at the airbender with wide eyes.

"What are you doing?!" she shouted. Leah ignored her and climbed carefully onto the wing, clutching the metal with both hands. She looked back at her, her hair messed from the wind, there was a small smirk on her face, her eyes were twinkling devilishly in the night air.

"Don't tell my mother I did this!" she shouted back at her unexpectedly. "She would _kill me_ if she ever found out!" Sh_e_ gave her a one-handed salute. "I'll see you on the ground!" And with that, she fell backwards off the wing and flipped once in the air before landing solidly on the fighter plane. Anya watched as Leah managed to throw the pilot from the plane with a whirl of airbending and take over, launching missile attacks at the Equalists. The young Avatar smiled a little and pushed the steering wheel forward, accelerating the plane. She dodged a few more missiles, but the only thing that seemed like it was looming in on her were the large blooms overhead. Leah was taking care of the opposing figher planes, but Kara could only take on so many blimps by herself. Anya dodged in and out, trying to think of a game plan. However, up ahead she could see a fighter plane heading right for her. Feeling a sense of foreboding, Anya took a deep breath and unbuckled herself from the seat.

"If Kara and Leah can do it, so I can," she whispered to herself over and over again as she stood up and pulled her goggles off of her head. Taking a deep breath, she let go all of her fear and inhabition and flung herself off of the plane and towards the blimp. The jump was a complete freefall, with Anya feeling a rush of excitement and fear. However, she hit the blimp harder than she intended and was thrown off-balance from the side. She felt herself fall backwards, but out of reflex she flung out her hand and managed to grab onto a low-hanging rope. It jerked her up and she felt the rope twist through her hands. Grimacing, she refused to let go and the blimp carried her through the sky. The wind whipped through her hair and pulled her up. Gritting her teeth, Anya put one hand in front of another and slowly began climbing up the long rope to the blimp.

She pulled as hard as she could, her arm muscles screaming in protest. Grunting and groaning she pulled herself up to the loading bay dock; an open area with a few guards milling about. Without hesitating, Anya snuck around some barrels, and while the first sentry's back was turned, took him out by a blow to the back of the neck. He crumpled to the ground, and Anya grabbed his radio before moving forwards into the cargo pit. Boxes and crates lined this bottom deck, but what the young Avatar really wanted was to get to the Bay area where the steering mechanisms would be located. Just as she made the first move out of her hiding spot, she felt a sharp pain rip through her head. Crying out, she held her head in her hands, her eyes closed. With darkness surrounding her, she could only hear the explosion that went off in the distance. Prying her eyes open, she looked out the nearby window to see that the sky had ripped open and was no longer a pleasant shade of blue and pink, but was a ghastly green and black. She cried out as the pain got sharper. The familiar image of a waterbending woman with long, dark hair standing in front of a Spirit Portal next to a fire sage temple entered her mind, and washed away the pain. Anya slowly got to her feet and stared out the window at the sky. Something was very wrong...

**Jonny's POV/ Fire Nation Capital**

He ran towards the temple as fast as he could and climbed the stairs two at a time. At the very top he found a team of non-benders trying to force their way into the temple out of which the Spirit Portal was shooting into the sky. Fire sages were attempting to keep them at bay, however, they were being dragged out of the temple. Gritting his teeth, Jonny pulled back his arms and let loose a plume of fire towards the enemies. The jumped back, singed by the flames. Holding his fists out in a threatening manner, Jonny gave them all a bad look and stood between them and the temple. "Leave. Now." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. The non-benders glanced at each other for a moment before turning back to him and pulling out their weapons. Smirking darkly, Jonny pushed his hand through the air, sending a wave of flames at them. They blocked it by jumping back, but it was too late. In that split second of distraction, the rebel leader jumped through the air and landed a flame punch towards the first one, knocking him down. Jumping back, he barely dodged a swipe from the second one. Another man wrapped his arm with a chain and pulled him forward, shooting electricity into his muscles. He cried out in pain, but pushed past it and ripped the chain from his arm, leaving deep scratches. He threw it back at the non-bender, knocking him to his butt and then faced another four who were advancing towards him.

Jonny could feel the energy zapping from his bones, and he knew that he couldn't take on any more enemies. Just as he was about to fight to the death, there was a rumble under his feet. The ground beneath the non-benders' feet crashed down on them, and they were forced to their knees. Glancing over, Jonny could see that Ryuu had managed t make it through, and was standing there, a large cut down his face, his breathing ragged. Walking over, he patted Jonny on the shoulder. The rebellion leader gave hi second-in-command a genuine smile. "It's good to see you, friend," he stated, relieved. Ryuu gave him a nod, but then gestured to the non-benders. With a solemn grimace, Jonny walked forward and pulled the mask off of one man, looking straight into his eyes. He bent over the man, using his position to intimidate him.

"How many more of you are there?" he asked harshly. "Why attack the temple? If Bishop takes out the Spirit Portal, the spirits will get their revenge." The man smirked and looked up at Jonny with hate-filled eyes.

"You think he doesn't know that?" demanded the squeaky man. "Bishop has a plan...and you benders _will_ finally be eliminated." Jonny stood up and narrowed his eyes at the tyrant.

"Your plan has failed," he reminded him. "Bishop will _never_ break the connection to the Spirit World." The man raised an eyebrow, his grin widening grossly.

"That's what you think..." he glanced at the door, and Jonny immediately turned around to see red dots forming around the door and walls to the temple. Flying on instinct, Jonny grabbed Ryuu and pushed him to the ground just as small bombs went off and dessimated the temple, bringing it crashing to the ground and exposing the Spirit Portal. Jonny's head hit the ground with the explosion, and he felt the lights go out for what seemed like hours, his ears ringing painfully. Suddenly, he felt himself be lifted up and shaken harshly. With squinted eyes, he looked up and saw the sky had turned a gross shade of green and black. Ryuu was shouting close to his face, but Jonny couldn't shake himself out of this stupor.

"Jonny! Jonny! They've gotten through to the portal!" Ryuu shouted into his ear. Groaning, the firebender jerked himself into a standing position and looked to see that the non-benders had left, but the Spirit Portal was exposed and weak. Ryuu then grabbed his shoulder and pointed upwards towards the north where a large blimp was hovering over the city. Squinting his eyes, Jonny could see a small figure standing on the blimp, fighting with three non-benders. Focusing a little more, Jonny stepped back in shock to see that it was Anya, her hair blowing past her face in the wind. Looking around desperately, Jonny noticed one of the small Republic fighter jets sitting there nearby.

"Stay here and protect the portal!" Jonny shouted to Ryuu. "I'm going after Anya!" Ryuu didn't question it and nodded his head, turning back towards the portal. He then ran over and jumped into the pilot's seat. There was a soft thud and he turned to see a rather tattered looking David sitting in the back seat.

"I'm going with you," he stated determindedly. Jonny nodded his head and pushed he engine button, cranking the steering stick and zooming straight into the sky towards the blimp...

**Anya's POV/ Fire Nation Capital**

She continued through the hold and tried to be as quiet as physically possible. She slid behind a stack of crates and held her breath as another guard wielding a strange looking weapon stepped past. Without worrying about him, Anya scooted past him and ran to the large iron door leading to the engine room. The door swished open and the young earthbender was greeted by a smell of roasting iron and coals. Steam emitted from the pipes and lines, and gave off a ghastly smell. Anya crinkled her nose and began creeping around the large oven-like machines that were powering the big blimp. A few men ran past with wrenches and blueprints in hand, however, Anya simply side-stepped them and continued through the room until she reached the end of a long hallway. Steam rose up around her as she slowly and quietly opened the door to the next room.

The first look around this room was a quick one. Anya found herself staring at several surprised faces. Suddenly, all hell broke loose and the men who were obviously the non-bending fighters got up and ran towards the young girl. With wide eyes Anya slammed the door shut in their face and took off in the opposite direction. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care, but she kept going anyway. Running through the steam, she didn't slow down for even a second. She heard the men running after her, their shouts angry and hurried. The footsteps grew louder and multiplied. There were more; and they were gaining.

Anya burst through another door and found herself facing several more men, but this room was bigger and more grand. It was the pilot deck. The men in the room all looked up with confused faces, which then turned to anger. Suddenly a rough hand gripped Anya's shoulder and turned her around. It was a big man with big muscles and he did NOT look happy. "Lookie here fellas…we got ourselves a little pretty bender…," he whispered harshly. Anya gave him a mean look and in a heat of adrenaline, she jerked his hand off, twisted it painfully around, and kicked him square in the chest. He fell back just long enough for Anya to turn on her heels and sprint towards the large window in the front.

Without even thinking…without even breathing…Anya didn't stop at the window sill, she pushed her legs upward and flew out of the blimp with her arms open wide. She didn't know that there would be a string out there for her to catch, however, she had jumped anyway. And for the second time that day, the young Avatar grabbed on to the rope before she could fall too far. The rope scraped her hands, but she ignored the pain and forced herself to put one hand above the other in a slow climb to the top. Of course, the non-benders had seen what she was doing and were yelling and shouting at each other to follow her. Anya passed them while on the rope and stuck her tongue out, however, to her surprise the first non-bender jumped out and caught the rope. Gritting her teeth, Anya forced herself to go faster and faster until she hoisted herself up onto the top of the blimp. She steadied herself, feeling the wind push violently against her body. She slowly looked down to see 4 non-benders climbing up the rope. Looking around, Anya searched around her pants to come up with nothing….her knife had been dropped back a long time ago.

She took a step back, closed her eyes softly, and took a deep breath. Putting out her hands, she opened her palms and blasted out several fire shots. Opening her eyes, she smiled to herself…just in time to see the first non-bender arrive on top of the blimp with a ready-to-fight attitude on his face. Anya backed up a few paces and held out her fired hands defensively. The first non-bender stood up straight and began running towards the young Avatar. Allowing the adrenaline to rush through her veins, Anya silenced her thoughts and focused on the movements.

The first non-bender made a left jab, forcing Anya to dodge to the left and take a swooping, firey, hand to the man's side. He did a back-flip and was joined by his three friends. They all stood there with smirks on their faces and their hands up defensively. Anya grimaced and slowly put her hands up as well (they are still on fire). With a few yells, the non-benders ran forward, but before they could attack there was a shout from above. Everyone, including Anya, stopped what they were doing and looked up to see two bodies fall towards them. The non-benders didn't act quick enough and were blasted by a large flame current and a spray of heat from a fireball. Jonny and a dark-haired firebending man seemed to fall out of the sky and go straight into the fight. Jonny landed in front of Anya while the crazy firebender boy, fought off a non-bender. Jonny glanced back at Anya with a smirk on his face. "Ready for this Little Bird?" he asked happily. Anya couldn't help but smile as she nodded her head and brought up her hands of fire. Jonny stepped out of the way and the young Avatar let out a large ball of fire right at two of the non-benders.

The three of them fought the non-benders and held them off as the world around them crashed and burned in front of their eyes. Anya fought hard and strong, her small muscles flashing in the fire, her eyes glittering with intensity. She liked the physical work. She liked fighting. The three of them moved in and out between each other, each one pulling his own weight. They fought tirelessly and eventually stood there with no one left to fight. Out of breath, Anya gave Jonny a big smile. The firebender boy looked back at them both and put his hands on his hips.

"I thought the princess was an earthbender?" he asked incredulously. Anya gave Jonny a guilty look, but before anyone could saying anything else two more non-benders jumped up from the side of the blimp. Jonny dodged a swipe to the side, however, Anya didn't see it coming. The second non-bender dodged the airbender's kick by sliding under his foot and jabbing the young earthbender straight in the side. Her legs went limb and she fell back, falling straight off the blimp. Almost as if in slow motion, Jonny saw her begin to fall and reached out to grab her arms, however, her fingers slipped out of his hands and her expression went wide with fear. Her hair fell swooping across her shoulder fell down and around her face, her mouth was open slightly in shock, and she fell straight past the balloon.

"Anya!" yelled Jonny. However, Anya couldn't hear him. She was too busy falling through the sky...

**Finn's POV/ Southern Air Temple**

He dodged a swipe from the right and sent one last fire blast back towards the enemy. The non-bender somersaulted backwards but was hit by a flying boulder. Finn looked to the side to see that Jinora and Aisha had made their way over. Aisha had a large cut across her face and Jinora's hair had fallen out of place. Everybody standing there looked haggard and about ready to collapse, but looking around Finn could see that the fighting had stopped and they had won. With a sigh of relief, he bent over his knees and took a couple steadying breaths. Just then, there was a loud crank of the engine and the non-benders who had fallen jumped to their feet and ran back to their blimps. They all watched as the giant metal balloons slowly ascended into the sky and made their way across the clouds. The team was silent for a long moment, taking in their victory with disbelief.

"We've won," Ketu sighed, his hair disheveled and his eyes closing out of exhaustion. Jinora nodded her head but didn't say anything as three old monks quickly walked forward and bowed to her.

"Thank you, Master Jinora," the one in the middle said, his voice shaking. "You have saved us from Bishop's harsh regime, and we owe you our lives." Jinora bowed back and gave them a kind smile.

"Anytime," she responded simply. The monks bowed once more and slowly walked away. Jinora turned to the team and was about to say something when the radio tied to her help went off. With a serious frown, she quickly picked it up and pressed the button.

"Jinora," she stated business-like. She listened for a second during which Finn could barely pick up Cid's voice over a slew of battle cries and explosions. Jinora's expression grew more serious until she finally stated: "On our way." Hanging up, she turned to the team. "Jonny needs back up in the Fire Nation. C'mon, you can sleep on the plane, but we need to leave _now_." Finn nodded his head and ran to the plane, jumping into the passenger's seat. Jinora took the helm and Finn could see the solemn expression grow more serious as she started the engine. He gently put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a concerned look.

"What's happened?" he asked. Jinora didn't glance back at him, but Finn could tell it was serious.

"Bishop's men are attacking the Spirit Portal..."

**Anya's POV/Fire Nation Capital**

The first thing that the young girl thought of wasn't death…it was of her mother. Her mother's face swam before her eyes and a slight tear trickled down her cheek. Everything was going too slowly, she was falling too slowly. The seconds felt like hours, and each one ticked past in a haze of blue and red. She was consciously aware of the yells and screams going off around her, but nothing was more real than her mother's bright green eyes that swam before her. She was comforted by this fact as she fell slowly towards her death.

Suddenly, there was a large splash and water enveloped Anya. Oh it had hurt, but the pain had been overridden by shock. The shock was the thing that caused Anya to close her eyes and fall deep into the depths of the water. Her mother's face swam before her, and she let the crushing depths pull her continuously under. The waves were like dark blankets, each one folding over her. Her mother's face began to fade away and morphed into Jonny's. He was smiling down at her, teaching her firebending. Then Jonny's gave way to her father's….the man she had left behind so long ago…then her father's became Micah's….then Ikki's…then Leah's….then Scar's. Suddenly the image of the whole rebellion swam before her eyes. And then suddenly Anya felt it. That power deep down inside the pit of her stomach…that power that she had known all along it was there…she felt it surge around her, through her veins, through her bones.

There it was. It was like tapping into a water vane, everything just came spilling out. Before she knew it, Anya had opened her eyes and was fully aware of where she was and how much danger she was in. She twisted in the water, and there was a surge underneath her feet. The water just did what she commanded…there was no need to understand the moves, or what she was doing, she just…did it. The water pushed her up quickly, and in a manner of seconds she was bursting out of the bay waters. The wave continued to push her up into the air, swirling around her, holding her up without any sort of command or movement. She turned around in the middle of the sky, everything coming in clear and bright. Screams filled her ears, smoke filled her nose, horror filled her eyes, and suddenly the emotions filled her stomach. The anger rose up in her gut and boiled everything else down. She didn't understand it, but she couldn't control it; the anger and frustration accumulated until the only thing Anya could do was release it in a mighty roar of power.

Anya gazed up and saw a large blimp flying over her. Without question, without hesitation, Anya waved her right arm through the air and brought it slicing down. A large air current sliced through the blimp, through the metal, and caused a large whipping sound. The blimp stood stalk still for a moment, as if suspended in mid-air, and then made a large groan and began billowing smoke. People screamed as it came flying down towards the water in total disrepair. Anya felt the power surge through her bones, forcing her to release it in great waves. She couldn't control it. It controlled her.

Two fighter planes came into view and began shooting at her. However, she put a solid ice wall in front of her, then released the ice towards them in sharp shards. Anya heard the guards on the beach scream like hell, but she didn't care. She wanted them to be in pain, she wanted them to suffer. They hurt her men, they killed her people, they burned one of her cities. They deserved to suffer. She looked down to see a line of men still on the beach, all were trying to fire weapons at her. Ignoring them, Anya felt the anger and rage pulse through her veins, and in a second she pulled her hands up and a giant wave followed. She thrust your arms forward and the wave descended upon the beach. More people screamed and ran as fast as they could, but her wave crashed over them anyways. Then, she looked over and saw the men near the fire temple where the Spirit Portal was turning a nasty shade of black. With her teeth bared, Anya swiped her hand through the air and an large airbending slice formed and came down upon the men there. The non-benders looked up, their faces full of fear and horror as she let loose a terrible roar towards the sky with fire spewing from her mouth. Clenching her teeth together, Anya swiped her hand sideways and a slice of fire rose from her palms and surrounded the fire temple. The non-benders screamed and ran for cover as the fire grew around the portal and spread outward, lighting a few men on fire. There were some more screams before a dead silence reigned. Anya watched as the enemy war balloons and ships turned to run away. She floated there in her wave tunnel for a full two minutes before the water began to dissipitate.

Anya felt it. She felt the anger, the hurt, the pain, she felt it all disappear from her bones in a flash. It left as quickly as it had come, and that scared her. Everything seemed pointless now. And the exahaustion; the exhaustion was terrible. It sucked up all of her energy, all of her hope. Suddenly, Anya found herself falling, she couldn't hold the water stream. Her mother's face clouded her vision one last time, before she completely blacked out…

**Jonny's POV/ Fire Nation Capital**

He watched in horror as Anya fell from the blimp, her eyes widened with fear. Jonny jumped forward and tried to catch her, but it was too late. Sliding forward, he just missed her outstretched hand, and he was forced to watch as she fell straight into the bay. "Anya!" Jonny shouted useless, a tear falling from his eyes. David took care of the remaining non-benders and looked over the blimp, his face sad. However, it wasn't a full minute when the water of the bay burst upward and out came a large tunnel of water in which Anya was at the head. Jonny and David stepped back as Anya floated there, held up by the spiraling waves. Her eyes were a bright white, and her teeth were bared in horrible rage and pain.

"What the h-!" David started, but he was cut off by Anya who swiped her hand through the air, sending a tsunami towards the beach where non-benders were still fighting. The wave turned into ice spikes and fell from the sky, trapping the enemies. Anya then turned towards the fire temple where Ryuu was being overrun by non-benders. Jonny saw the look on Anya's face and turned to grab David's arm.

"We have to get off this thing!" he shouted. He pulled the younger firebender along, but it was too late. Anya swiped her hand through the air, sending an air slice towards them. Seeing another blimp a few feet below them, Jonny grabbed David and pushed him off the edge, jumping just in time himself. He landed smoothly on the blimp, scraching his knees a little as he rolled to a stop. David pointed towards the trap door and together they jumped into the cockpit where two non-benders were waiting, watching in horror as the Avatar destroyd their ranks. In less than a minute, Jonny had them incapacitated and was sitting in the pilot seat, David on his right.

"Do you know how to drive this thing?" he asked, looking down at the controls in skepticism. Jonny shrugged his shoulders and pulled a few levers. The blimp jolted in the sky and pointed steeply downwards.

"I guess this is going to be a crash landing!" he shouted, pulling back on the first lever, attempting to level out the blimp. The large metal contraption groaned as it was forced to descend at a fast speed. Jonny and David both braced themselves as it came down upon the beach, the blimp just leveling out as it came crashing down upon the sand. Jonny was jerked upward, but he held himself in place. David was thrown from his seat and hit the opposite wall. With a grunt, Jonny looked over at the now-unconscious boy, but he didn't have time to wake him. Pulling the young firebender onto his shoulders, he pushed out of the cockpit and onto the beach where people were recovering from the Avatar's hit. He gently laid David onto the ground and the two waterbenders, Vikon and Lena rushed over to check on David. Lena immediately grabbed fistfuls of water and began the healing process, going over the unconscious firebender's torso.

"He's got a few bruises on his ribs, but he should be fine," she stated, looking up at Jonny. The rebellion leader nodded his head and turned to watch Anya as she still hovered over them in a large tornado of water. She looked towards the sky and let loose a terrifying roar in which fire spewed from her lips. She then swiped her hand through the air once more, letting loose an air slice, breaking apart the circle of non-benders. Ryuu jumped out of the way as she send a current of fire towards the portal, surrounding it in a blaze of heat. Some of the non-benders were caught in the cross-fire and screamed horrible in pain, but Anya didn't hear them as the flame grew larger and outward. Jonny watched as the screams died down and Anya hovered there in silence. Suddenly, her bright white eyes began to turn back to normal and the water tornado holding her up began to dissipate. She began falling once again, seeing this Jonny turned to Vikon who was already on his feet and running towards the water.

The waterbender pushed himself through the waves and caught the Avatar just in time. Pushing his hand through the water, Vikon jetted back and laid the unconscious Anya on the ground next to David. Lena scooted over and carefully examined the young girl, her eyes shut and her mouth in a frown. Lena's hands glowed for a split second as they hovered over the Avatar's torso. Jonny held his breath. Vikon looked over this process and folded his arms over his chest. "So, she's the Avatar?" he asked, but Jonny didn't answer as Anya's eyes slowly opened and she coughed out some water.

"Jonny...?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Jonny smiled, relief filling his face as he held her head in his hands.

"I'm here Little Bird," he whispered. "I'm here..."

**Finn's POV/ Fire Nation Capital**

They had flown in just as Anya had stopped her water tornado. Finn looked down in horror at the destruction she had caused on the beach and near the fire temple which held the Spirit Portal which was surrounded by tall flames. Jinora looked down at this and glanced back at her companion. "What happened here?" she asked. Finn didn't say anything, but he knew exactly what had happened. Anya had gone into the Avatar State and had exacted her revenge on Bishop's men. Down on the beach he could see figures huddled around and unconscious body, and he didn't need Jinora to lower the plane to know who it was. They descended onto the beach, and the team quickly moved towards the mass of bodies who were surrounding the barely conscious Anya. Finn recognized Lena kneeling over her, her hands glowing with the healing power. Anya groaned, making everyone step back. She slowly got to her feet with the help from Jonny, who pushed people away. Everyone was silent as they stared at her in wonder. It was Jinora who broke the silence.

"You're...the Avatar," she whispered, her eyes wide. Anya looked at the airbender with a guilty expression, but Jinora merely smiled and bowed deeply. "I sensed there was something about you..." Anya smiled at this, her arm around Jonny's waist. Jonny nodded his head towards his second-in-command who was standing there dumbfounded. Getting the hint, Ryuu cleared his throat and addressed the crowd.

"Alright, we've won this battle but there are still a lot of things to do before we can go home," he said, his voice commanding and steady. He pulled people away, letting Jonny and Anya have their space with Lena on their tail. Finn caught Anya's eye and gave her a smile small. She responded by nodding her head. Turning, Finn followed Ryuu back towards the palace...

**Anya's POV/ The Underground**

She had woken up in Jonny's arm, facing upward with a crowd of people staring down at her in a mixture of fear and amazement. Lena had healed her more serious wounds, and Jonny had immediately gotten her into a plane and steered her away from the Fire Nation. Jinora, Corey, and Makki had come with, each one pestering Jonny with lots of questions. Anya ignored them all, focusing on the clouds that slowly drifted away. They had gotten to the Underground alright, and Lana had stayed in the warehouse with Corey while Anya followed the others into the tunnel and to the leader's tent. There, Anya sat in a chair and listened as the three of them talked quietly amongst themselves, each one having something to say about her and her Avatar State. As she sat there, she heard a buzzing sound in her ear. She felt a strange peace rush over her and she closed her eyes for a split second...

**Jonny's POV/ The Underground**

"I knew she was special!" Makki exclaimed, folding her arms over her chest. She had the hint of a smile on her face, as did Jinora. Both Commanders were looking at Jonny with somewhat triumphant grins, however, it was Jinora who spoke the obvious.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked quietly. Jonny glanced at Anya who was sitting crossed-legged in the chair in the corner, still getting over what she did in the Fire Nation Capital. Jonny sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. It would now be known that Anya was the Avatar, and she would soon be flooded with questions, accusations, and everything else that came with the title. He could no longer protect her from her destiny. He leaned against the table and looked down at the map, trying to think logically about it.

"We've got a guy who's willing to step up as the Firelord-a descendent from the great Firelord Zuko. He will take over, at least while we repair the Fire Nation. As for Anya, I've already trained her in Firebending and I believe she's ready for her test. She will move on to Air and then Water," he said this matter-of-factly, but he knew that it wouldn't be as easy as that. Turning towards Jinora he gave her a knowing nod. "I had hoped that you would teach her in airbending next." Jinora nodded her head in consent and smiled sweetly.

"Of course," she stated. But then her face screwed up in concern. "You're going to have a lot of questions to answer when everyone gets back..." Jonny sighed and nodded his head in agreement. He knew that by keeping this secret he was drilling a hole in the trust people gave him, but he had no choice. Jonny glanced back up at Anya to see if she had anything to say, but was taken aback by the girl's eyes which had turned a bright white, and the calm surrounding her face and features. Jinora saw Jonny's expression and turned around as well, her eyes widening.

"Looks like the Avatar's taking a little trip into the Spirit World," Makki commented, also noting the eyes. Jinora carefully placed her hands on her temple and closed her eyes in thought. After a moment she sighed and opened her eyes.

"I can't seem to reach her," she said regretably. "It seems like whatever, or whoever, dragged her into the Spirit World wants to have a private conversation..."

**Anya's POV/The Spirit World  
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She was falling…falling into the dark…falling into nothingness…nothing mattered here…everything was warm and quiet. Suddenly there was a bright light that filtered in through the dark. It was blindingly bright, and suddenly Anya opened her eyes with a loud gasp. She frantically looked around, her eyes dilating enough so that she could make out her surroundings.

Anya was lying on her back looking up at a canvass of trees. She surgically took stock of her limbs and organs...nothing seemed broken or bruised. With a slight grunt, the young Avatar pushed herself up to a sitting position and rubbed her head. Now she got a full view of where she was lying. She was sitting under a small, red awning with peeling paint. It was a tiny stone island in the middle of a large, dense, forest. She stood up and looked around with a confused expression. It was warm, yet not too warm. It was light, but not too light. Everything was…calm…too calm. Anya took a few steps and put her hands to her mouth.

"Hello?!" she shouted. There was no answer. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Hello?! Anyone out there?!" No answer. Anya sighed and moved her joints around. She was surprised to find that nothing felt sore, nothing felt even slightly bruised. Deciding that moving forward was better than staying…wherever the hell she was…Anya took her first steps forward and didn't look back.

She wandered around aimlessly, noticing how everything seemed to be covered in a type of fog. She had to jump stones to avoid the water. It seemed like hours, maybe even days, before she saw something in the distance. Anya picked up the pace and had to rub her eyes to make sure that she was seeing what she was really seeing.

A monkey was poised in a meditation chant on a small stone. He was humming to himself, and he didn't even peek open his eyes as the young Avatar stepped forward. She looked down at the small monkey with a bewildered look on her face. "Wow…I'm dreaming…I'm hallucinating…a meditating monkey…," she whispered to herself. She shook her head, and without thinking of anything else to do, Anya sat down right next to the sapien, got into a meditating position, and closed her eyes. She sat there in a deep trance. She allowed herself to be in this state for a time. The minutes seemed like hours, and the hours seemed like days. Suddenly, Anya was pulled out of her trance by the sound of a person speaking to her.

"Hello there." She opened her eyes wide to see the meditating monkey sitting there beside her with big wide eyes and a smirk-like grin on his face. Anya scooted away quickly and stood up, her jaw dropped.

"You…you just spoke…you can't…you're a monkey…," she whispered to herself, thinking she was going crazy. The monkey gave her a hurt look.

"How dare you! I'm not a monkey!" he exclaimed, putting his paws on his hips. Anya raised her eyebrows.

"Um…okay…but you can talk…," she responded. The monkey rolled his eyes and sat back down.

"You would think the Avatar would know a spirit when she saw one," he answered. Anya sat down next to him out of shock.

"How did you know…," she started. The monkey/spirit waved his paw in the air in a vague gesture.

"I can see your past lives…all of them. I've met them all too; to be honest, I don't think I've met one as patient as you though…you're something different, you are," he stated with a smile. Anya stood there dumbfounded. Suddenly, she felt a shift in her personality. She smiled at the monkey and put her hands on her hips.

"How come you didn't talk to me much this often Corvo?" she asked. Even though the words came out of her mouth, that wasn't her voice. It was a woman's voice, but with a slight edge to it. The monkey called Corvo rolled his eyes and looked at Anya with an exasperated expression.

"Korra, you are rash, arrogant, and too willing to fight. You wouldn't meditate with me, therefore I didn't want to talk to you," he answered. Anya covered her mouth with her hand in surprise.

"What…what was that?" she asked the monkey fearfully. Corvo closed his eyes once more, getting ready to meditate again.

"THAT was Korra, you're previous life. You're the Avatar no? Well in the Spirit World you are able to connect with your past lives a lot easier than in the physical realm," he answered. Anya took a few steps back in surprise at this.

"I'm in the Spirit World?" she asked, bewildered. Anya glanced down at her feet and saw her reflection; however, it wasn't HER reflection. The shimmery mirror that lay before her was of a girl a little bit younger then herself. A waterbender with a ponytail and broad shoulders. The reflection suddenly stepped out of the water and became an actual solid person. Anya didn't step back, she wasn't afraid. She knew who had come to life and who stood before her. It was Korra, her past life. Korra smiled at her in a gentle fashion.

"Anya, it's about time we met."

**Jonny's POV/The Underground**

It had been a few hours, but people eventually began filing back into the Underground looking harried and ready for some well-deserved sleep. Meanwhile, the rebellion officials all gathered around the table and were looking at Jonny with a variety of expression. It was Kay who broke the silence, the fiery redhead had her arms folded across her chest and she was gazing at the rebellion leader with slight anger.

"What the hell Jonny?!" she exclaimed furiously.

"Calm down, Kay," Ryuu stated softly. Kay gave the second-in-command a bad look before turning back to Jonny with a spiteful expression.

"No, you guys aren't reacting _enough_," she stated boldy. She pointed at the still figure of Anya who was sitting in the chair with bright white eyes and a calm face. "She's the _Avatar_ and we weren't trusted enough with the truth." The others looked at Jonny, all believing this to be true. The rebellion leader sighed and pushed a hand through his hair in a tired fashion.

"Look, I know you probably have some questions…" he started. " Ten years ago her father, the Earth King, approached me about her bending...and her Avatar status. She did not know it at that time, but it later became known to her that she was a powerful earthbender. Not wanting to endanger her life, or her family's her father, and everyone else in the palace, kept it secret from the rest of the world. That's why I've been absent for so long. I had to make sure she was safe."

"It didn't stay that way thought," Liu muttered, her eyebrows raised. Jonny shook his head in agreement.

"No, it didn't," he affirmed. "I had just heard about the non-bender attacks a mere 2 hours before they occurred, and that gave me enough time to get Anya out of there." He shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms around his chest. "This is the first time she's ever gone into the Avatar state."

"But what's she doing now? Why are her eyes glowing like that, brother?" asked Cid, chewing on a wheat stalk. Jonny looked back at his young protégé. Anya was sitting there, her body completely limp, her face in a perfect serene gaze. Her eyes were a blazing white, and Jonny knew exactly what this meant. So did Makki and Jinora. The wise waterbender cleared her throat and addressed the rest of the crowd.

"She's in the Spirit World," she answered. "My mother would sometimes be like this…anytime there was danger or something causing an imbalance to the world her eyes would turn a bright white, and she would go into this sort of trance. Sometimes it would last for hours." Jonny nodded her head at this in confirmation. Everyone was silent at the sound of this, they were all looking at Anya with new expressions. Fay took a step forward and looked at Jonny with that look that only SHE could pull off and not be punched by the firebender. She put her hands on her hips and her voice turned low and solemn.

"Is this why you brought her with, Jonny? I knew you wouldn't have brought a Significant if you didn't have a good reason," she whispered knowingly. Jonny gave her a mean look and stepped forward forcefully.

"I brought Anya because she shows potential," he whispered dangerously. Fay gave him one last knowing look before taking a few steps back in surrender. Jonny looked at the rest of them all in a frustrated manner. He knew they were angry, but he was angry too.

"Look, I didn't tell all of you, because I didn't want Bishop finding out. If they found out too soon we all would've gotten in trouble. Now…now I don't know what…we'll have to decide what to do as soon as Anya gets back from her little trip to the Spirit World," he ranted. The others all looked at him with solemn gazes, they knew by the tone of his voice that he was dead serious. Makki stood up straight and gazed carefully at Jonny.

"Well, when she wakes up, we'll all be sure to be here to welcome her back," she said slowly and softly. Jonny nodded his head and the rest of them departed. Fay was the last one to go. She gazed at Jonny with her eyes filled with disappointment. She shook her head sadly and walked out of the tent. Jonny was left there with his battle strategies and a trance-like Anya. He looked at his young ward, her eyes blinding white, her face serene. Sighing, he once again rubbed his face with his hands. He had a lot of work to do…

**Anya's POV/ The Spirit World  
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She stared at her previous life with an open mouth and dumb-found expression across her face. Korra stood in front of her with a smirk. She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Anya. It's not like you weren't expecting this," she said snarkily. Anya stood there silently, attempting to take it all in. Not really knowing what to say, she looked around the area and shrugged her shoulders.

"Where am I?" she asked softly. Korra smiled gently.

"You know where you are," she answered. Anya took a moment to allow this to sink in. It was true, she knew where she was the moment she opened her eyes, yet it didn't really process until now.

"I'm in the Spirit World," she admitted. Korra nodded her head slowly and gestured around the area.

"Congratulations," she said sarcastically. Anya looked at her with wide, concerned eyes.

"Why am I here?" she asked, confused. "I don't understand."

"You're here because you just discovered the Avatar state," she answered slowly and calmly. Anya walked around in a slow circle, taking in all of the trees and forestry. Everything was so clear now, she knew exactly what was going on. It came to her like a bright light filtering through her mind. Korra saw this run through her mind and nodded her head slowly. "You're here because the world is in great danger, Avatar. There is an imbalance to the powers, an imbalance that only you can fix." Anya looked at her with wide, open eyes.

"What can I do?" she asked desperately. "The only bending I know is earthbending…and I've _barely_ started training in firebending." Korra shook her head at this and put a reassuring hand on the young girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry young Avatar. Soon, you'll know everything you need to know in order to succeed. And you will succeed Anya, it's in your blood." She said. Suddenly her eyes glowed white and shapes appeared in the dense fog. They formed a triangle and they all looked like shadowy ghosts. Their eyes were all a bright white, and suddenly Anya realized that these were all of her past lives. Korra stood in front of them all, with the last airbending Avatar named Aang right beside her. Anya couldn't help but smile at the sight of this legendary Avatar. She smiled at them all, knowing deep in her heart that this was who she was. She turned her attention back to Korra, her eyes filled with determination.

"Alright, what should I do first?" she asked, her voice clear. Korra nodded her head and pointed towards the water where an image swam into view. It was of the spirit portal in the Fire Nation.

"When I was the Avatar, I created a spirit portal in each of the corners of the world," she explained. "One near the Fire Nation Capital, one in the South Pole, one in the North Pole, one in Republic City, and one in the desert near the oasis. This way all people could be connected to the Spirit World. The forces at work are trying to close the portals and cut humans off from all of the energy in the world-eliminating bending all together." The watery image turned a gross black, covering the map of the world. "If you let that happen, you will no longer be able to connect with the Spirit World and the Avatar will cease to exist." Anya took a step back at this, her eyes widening. Korra gave her a serious expression, her eyes meeting the earthbender's.

"You need to stop this imbalance and restore peace to the world, for all benders and non-benders," she stated clearly. Anya put her hands on her head and closed her eyes tightly.

She faced Korra with a grim expression on her face. "I'm not strong enough," she said softly. Korra shook her head and put a reassuring hand on Anya's shoulder.

"You're stronger than you think, young earthbender." She said, her voice sounding like hot chocolate on a cold day-comforting and warm. Her smile was practically glowing. "And if you need help, remember, all you have to do is ask." Anya looked straight into Korra's eyes and nodded her head. Suddenly the sky around her grew a bright white and Korra began to fad away, her whole figure warping into nothingness. Anya looked at her, fightened.

"Wait!" she shouted. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

"You'll figure it out…you have done it before…" And with that Korra vanished into thin air. Anya turned around and around in place, everything was beginning to be flooded in light. She squinted her eyes and looked up at the ever blue sky. The white light surrounded her fully and Anya closed her eyes from the brightness of it all. She found herself in a trance-like state, an out-of-body experience. She was looking down at herself.

Her body was back in the Underground in Jonny's tent. Suddenly, Anya felt a pull and she was hurled head first into herself. A weird sensation went through her spine. And with a painful effort Anya opened her eyes with a loud gasp. She sat up straight, trying to focus on the noise that was surrounding her. Prying her eyes open, she looked around the room at the faces that were staring back at her. Jonny walked over and put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "You alright, Little Bird?" he asked gently. Anya slowly nodded her head and got to a standing position.

"I'm fine," she stated, feeling as if a hundred years had just passed and she was now somehow older. She gazed at Jonny with a sad expression when Makki walked over and interrupted them. The waterbender looked down at the young Avatar with a bright smile, then suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. Anya was taken aback, but for a split second she felt connected to Makki and a tear slid down her cheek.

"Hey mom," Makki whispered in her ear. Anya smiled at this and gently pulled back. She looked around the room at the rest of the rebellion officials and stepped up to the table.

"I know you all have questions for me," she started, her voice clear. "And I'm happy to answer them. But you should all know something..." Anya told them about what happened in the Spirit World and she was met with grim expressions. Jonny was scratching his chin and he walked over to the table where the map sat.

"I knew that Bishop was evil, but I never thought he would ever be capable of something like this...," Cid whispered, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. Jonny hummed as he studied the map carefully.

"No wonder why they were targeting the spirit portal," he hissed. He looked up at them all and realized how late it was getting. With a sigh, he relaxed his stance. "Bishop wouldn't dare attack another spirit portal for a while. We've got some time, so you might as well all get some sleep." The officials all nodded their heads in agreement and began filing out of the tent. Anya was about to leave when Rae quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her. The firebender was grinning from ear to ear at the Avatar.

"Not so fast," she stated teasingly. "You and I have a date with a firebending trial." Anya's jaw dropped at this as she looked at her firebending mentor.

"Do you really think I'm ready?" she asked skeptically. Rae nodded her head.

"Jonny told me how well you did on the blimp," she admitted. "I think it's time for you to join the ranks as Master. We'll test tomorrow morning. Be there on time." Anya nodded her head excitedly and bowed to Rae before leaving the tent and heading home feeling completely exhausted.

**Finn's POV/ The Underground**

The next day everybody gathered around to watch the Avatar face off with Rae. Finn was excited for his new friend, and happy that she was now fully recognized as the Avatar. She gave him a thumbs-up as he entered the viewing seats and he nodded her way. Taking a seat near the front row with the other firebenders, he sat up straight and watched as she stood on the left side of the mat while Rae faced her on the right. Jonny stood in the middle, and as soon as he blew the whistle, Rae made the first strike. She send a hot wave of flames over the ground with a swipe of her foot. Anya skillfully jumped over it and send one back, hopping into the air and kicking upwards with her left foot. Rae dodged it easily enough and ducked as Anya made another offensive attack towards her side.

Finn was sitting on the edge of his seat, unable to hide his excitement at the pro-bending like way Anya was moving. The Avatar was striking fast and hard, punching the air and sending balls of fire towards the Master firebender. Rae was skilled, but she wasn't used to this kind of fighting, and she easily lost her balance as Anya advanced forward, sending wave after wave of flames. Finally, Anya jumped high into the high, dodging a right swipe from Rae, and flipped over the woman, sending two large currents above her and landing behind her. Rae split the fire in two just in time, but was hit in the stomach by a left jab from the Avatar. Rae fell to the ground in a heap and swore as she looked up at her opponent. Anya smiled down at Rae and held out her hand in a gesture of friendship. With a smile, Rae took her hand and boosted herself up to a sitting position. Finn got up and cheered with everyone else as Rae made the customary bow to the Avatar. Anya was now a fully-realized firebender. The Avatar waved at everyone with red cheeks, and she caught Finn's eye. Giving him a thumb's-up, she winked and returned to be the center of attention...

**Bishop's POV  
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The soldier stood shaking in his boots standing there in the large, decorated room. In the middle of the room was a large round desk and sitting behind it was a tall man wearing black robes and a hood covered the bottom half of his face. His dark eyes stared into the soul of the soldier, his lean muscles rippling under the outfit he was wearing. His heels clicked lightly on the ground as he walked around the desk to face the trooper who was kneeling on the ground, sniveling slightly. He knew what he did was wrong, but he was afraid because Bishop was known for his ruthlessness.

The leader of the new Republic held his hands together and leaned back against the desk. A man in a white robe stood in the corner, his beady little eyes lighting up at this transaction. "Because of you we no longer have the opportunity to attack the Fire Nation Capital's spirit portal. Losing like that can be deadly for our operation," his voice was like soft velvet, a hiss of a whisper, but everything about it spoke volumes of his character. He was not one to be trifled with. "But…today has been a great day. We've exposed the rebels, and this new Avatar has shown herself. Today was a crucial step towards a more equal world. So…I'm feeling generous…" The man looked up, his eyes trailing with tears. Maybe there was some hope for him after all….

"Because I'm feeling generous I'll make sure you die quickly…," and with that last whisper, he suddenly flung out his hand and an explosion popped out of his sleeve just as the soldier began spurting blood from his chest. He gasped out loud and then fell to the floor now dead. The Republic leader, Bishop, stood there fondling the projectile that had just shot out from his sleeve. It was an intrical barrel that was still smoking slightly at the end and was connected to a gadget that hooked up to his sleeve and was able to keep the weapon hidden. The man in the white coat grinned at the sight of the dead soldier and practically skipped up to Bishop, his wire-rimmed glasses bouncing down his face.

"It looks like your invention worked perfectly Sly," hissed Bishop, his mask covering his true feelings. The Doctor smiled, showing his brown crooked teeth.

"Y-y-yesss, s-s-sir," he stammered back, his voice high-pitched and slime-like. "It-it looks like the g-g-gun is working purrrfectly." Bishop continued to stare down at the weapon attached to his hand. He clenched his fist menacingly and looked out the large round window of the giant aircraft. Flyers and men rained down from the surrounding fighter craft and war balloons. Republic City lay underneath them, people could be heard screaming in the streets as the council building lit up like a Christmas tree with tanks and non-bender troops. He puffed his chest out a little in pride and poured himself a mixed drink with ice. Today was a good day for the New Republic. Tomorrow the grunt work would start. Just as Bishop was contemplating this as the double doors to his office opened and in walked his captain. Ranger was probably one of the ugliest men Bishop had ever seen, but he was effective, and his looks struck fear into their enemies. And fear could do a whole lot more damage than a knife. He smiled evilly before bowing respectfully to Bishop.

"Sir, I come with good news," he said, his voice sounding like gravel. Bishop raised an eyebrow, no expression could be seen on his face. Bishop didn't respond, so Ranger continued. "Sir the Doctor's managed to extract some spiritual essence from the spirit portal. He is now able to start his work on the formula." Bishop didn't respond for the first minute, his eyes dark and mysterious. Finally, he sighed and leaned against the table.

"Finally," he hissed out. "Our plans are right on time." He put both of his hands on the desk and looked out at the burning city with his eyes glinting maliciously. "I think it's time to meet this new Avatar…"

_**End of Book 2**_


	3. Book 3: Air

_**Book 3: Air**_

**Jonny's POV/The Underground **

The rebellion leader was pacing the length of his tent, practically wearing a hole into the ground. Just then the flap opened up and he came face to face with Jinora. The airbending leader the usual look of calmness that spread across her face was suddenly twisted into one of dishevelment. "Have you found anything?" she asked, her voice strung with concern. Jonny sighed and shook his head, his radio clutched in his hand. He didn't say anything as she continued to pace back and forth, angry and upset with himself.

"I never should have let her go," he muttered to himself. Jinora gave him a knowing look and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Even if you had said no, she still would have gone," she said with a smile. Jonny nodded his head and forced a smile on his face. The Avatar was an important key in the development of their plan…what's more, Anya was important to him… As he paced in the Underground, non-bender troops paraded above them looking for the entrance to their hideout. It was just a matter of time before all the benders of the city were rounded up and shipped off to encampments around the nation. Jonny pushed a hand through his hair and readjusted his shoulder pads. He had everyone scouring the streets for any sign or tale of Anya. The young Avatar was probably stuck in some kind of jail cell with Bishop breathing down her neck. If they didn't find her fast, she would probably be killed…or tortured. The idea of this forced Jonny to pace even faster. Jinora saw the anxiety creeping up from him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Jonny, pacing here isn't going to help Anya," she said in an attempt to comfort the old leader. "The best thing right now is for you to get some sleep. In a few hours Bishop will be giving a speech to the whole of Republic City…and something tells me it's not going to be good. Jonny knew that what she said was true, but he still couldn't bear the fact that somewhere the small girl he had protected all of these years ago was out there in the Republic's hands. He finally sighed and walked around the desk, looking down at the map. Jinora watched him carefully, her face filled with creases of worry.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked. Jonny scratched his chin in thought. Jonny had put together a special team to track down Anya including: Badger, Liu, Makki, Kay, Micah, Miss Ratchel, Eddy, Lena, Dev, and Leah were all out there scouring Republic City for any lead of Anya.

"Talk to Cid about getting in connection with the Air Temples. I want to hear from Ikki and how she's doing at the Southern Temple front," he commanded, getting back to his leader-like ways. Jinora nodded her head, but just as she was about to leave the tent the flap opened up and in barged Kay, her eyes wild and disheveled, her attire slightly ripped and muddied.

"Jonny! We've got her…Anya's in the infirmary," she said quickly. Jonny glanced at Jinora before rushing out after Kay. They ran a few blocks down the sewer streets until they came upon a relatively nice looking building built into the wall of the large sewer. A medical cross had been pinned to the top of the roof to show where one should go if one needed an ER late at night. Jonny barged in and ran past the desk to the back room where the main doctor was hunched over the bed. Jonny pushed past the doc and immediately ga?ed upon his protégé. Anya was sitting up on the gurney, an IV sticking in her arm. Her dress was ripped up the side and caked in mud. Her dark hair was matted down her back, and she looked very pale. A large gouge was in her shoulder, the blood clotted around the wound. Jonny knelt down beside the bed, his face pale and scared. Anya looked up at him with a peculiar expression on her face. "What happened? Are you okay?" he asked desperately. Anya ga?ed into his eyes for a split second, Jonny could see something in them that sent a chill down his back. Whatever had happened to the young girl while she was in captivity, it had changed her. There was now a darkness, a sadness, in her eyes. Anya didn't say anything however, instead she gripped her arm and winced slightly in pain.

"There's some kind of metal in my shoulder…I can feel it..," she grunted. Jonny frowned and looked up at the doctor.

"What is it, Jack?" he asked. Jack, the only professional doctor Underground sighed and pushed an irritated hand through his hair.

"I don't know, Sir," he said, obviously agitated at this pu?le. "It looks like something entered her shoulder at a very high velocity. But there's nothing that I can think of that would do such a thing." Anya groaned and put a hand over the hole in her shoulder.

"There was some kind of weapon hidden in his sleeve," she said painfully. "There was a small explosion from the barrel of the weapon and now I have a hole in my shoulder." Jonny frowned at this, his eyebrows creasing together. He gently touched the area around the wound, Anya looking the other direction. She was angry, but she knew now was not the time to show that anger. Jonny looked closely to the wound and saw that there was indeed some kind of metal wedged in there. Anya gritted her teeth and put a cupped hand over the hole. She suddenly closed her eyes and screamed out in agony. Before Jonny, or anyone else in the room, could ask her what was wrong, she uncapped her hand to reveal a small round piece of metal covered in her blood. Jack immediately pushed Jonny back and began wrapping her wound. Meanwhile, Jonny took the piece of metal and examined it. It was almost perfectly round, as if someone had melted down the metal just for this purpose.

The doctor finished wrapping her arm, and Anya slowly climbed down from the bed. Everyone in the room backed up and Jack made sure all of her vitals were okay. "You're going to want to take it easy, Avatar," the doctor warned her. However, Anya just ignored him and stretched her limbs before walking towards the exit. Jonny followed her cautiously, knowing that she was silently suffering on the inside. Jonny thanked Jack before following the young Avatar out of the ER and into the streets of the Underground. Anya walked ahead of him, her feet pounding the slimey pavement. Jonny sighed and caught up to her right outside her small shack/house. "Anya, we need to debrief you back in my tent," he said solemnly. "We need to learn everything you know." Anya stopped in her tracks. She was holding her arms close to her body, a sign that let Jonny know she wasn't okay. She took a took deep breath and turned to him, her eyes and face rigid.

"I talked to Bishop," she whispered. Jonny's eyes widened at this. He walked forward and carefully put a reassuring hand on the young woman's shoulder, his eyes portraying empathy. Anya shook her head, joking back tears.

"He was going to put me on trial for all of the crimes my past lives committed," she stated, shivering a little. Jonny put an arm around her shoulder and lead her slowly back to the airbender's house.

"Go ahead and get some sleep," he stated kindly. "We can do the debriefing later." Anya smiled and nodded her head in gratitude. With one last empathetic look, Jonny left the young girl alone to begin recovering.

**Micah's POV/The Underground**

He was working on one of the small fighter planes in the warehouse outside of Republic City all afternoon. The damned thing kept blowing black smoke out the hood. His goggles were down on his face, and his gloves were pulled p to his elbows. Groaning to himself, he climbed up onto the hood and began adjusting the engine settings. They were low on coolant and fuel. Being an underground operation was tough on supplies…especially fuel, oil, and coal. Just as he was turning a loose screw, Micah heard the large double doors of the warehouse be thrown open. He turned around to see Anya standing there in the light of the day, her hair wild around her head and her dress torn around the hem. She walked into the warehouse, shutting the door behind her with a fierce determination. Micah immediately jumped down from the plane and pulled his goggles onto his head. He wiped some grease off of his face, immediately feeling self-conscious in the Avatar's presence. She walked up to him, her eyes bla?ing. "Anya!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Are you alright? I was going to visit you later today, but…" before he could finish his sentence Anya walked up to him and forcefully pushed her mouth against his. Micah was taken aback, he pulled back at first, surprised. However, Anya gripped the back of his neck and pushed her mouth against his in fierce determination. Micah kissed back, closing his eyes in happiness. For a few moments this was exactly what he wanted, however Anya suddenly pushed him against the plane and began pulling at his shirt.

Micah was like any other guy. He wanted it…BADLY. But he knew that Anya was only doing this because she just got out of Bishop's jail. She was just feeling desperate. So, with a great effort, Micah gently pulled her hands off his shirt and pulled out of the kiss. Anya looked up at him with wide, uneasy eyes. "I thought this was what you wanted…," she whispered. Micah smiled slightly and gently ran a thumb over her cheek.

"It is, but…," he started. Anya narrowed her eyes and took a step back. Micah felt himself blush slightly. "But I don't think you should be making this kind of a….uh…move when you JUST got back from captivity." Anya took a few steps back and gave Micah an incredibly hurt look. Her face turned red and she began pulling at the ends of her messy hair.

"I'm sorry, this was a mistake," she said suddenly, turning around and beginning walking the opposite direction. Micah suddenly felt a pit drop in his stomach and he immediately grabbed Anya's arm before she could go any further.

"Wait, I didn't mean…," he started desperately. Anya pulled away, her face completely red now.

"No…it's-it's fine…I have to go," and with that she was gone. Micah stood there completely dumbfounded. He wiped a long streak of oil onto his forehead and rolled his eyes.

"Women…," he whispered.

**Dev's POV/The Underground**

He was walking through the Underground City in a leisurely manner. Just as he turned a corner, he accidentally bumped into another body. Raising an eyebrow he looked into the eyes of a tall, lean guy wearing dark clothing and spikey dark hair. Dev narrowed his eyes slightly in a suspicious manner. He knew everyone in the Underground…but here was a new guy standing there looking really suspicious. "Who are you?" Dev asked, getting straight to the point. The man raised an eyebrow at his rudeness, but didn't address it.

"I'm Taylor. The uh…Avatar…rescued me from Bishop's prison," he stated, his voice raised defensively. Dev looked at him skeptically, then sighed and rolled his eyes. He pointed to the end of the tunnel where the Captain's overly-large tent sat bla?ing with light and activity.

"Well, come on then. Jonny's probably going to want to debrief you," he said with a slight hint of annoyance. He walked side-by-side with the strange new man in silence. There was something suspicious about the way he looked. Dev couldn't peg exactly what was strange about him, but he knew there was SOMETHING different...So, they walked through the town together, the new guy looking around with wide, curious eyes.

"Wow…I had heard rumors about an underground organi?ation, but I didn't reali?e that it was actually underground!" he exclaimed in awe. Dev squinted at him but merely shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Yeah…it's something…," Dev answered. Taylor looked over at him with a curious glance.

"So, what do you do with the rebellion?" he questioned. Dev rolled his eyes, not liking how the new guy kept asking him these kinds of questions.

"I'm an earthbender," he answered coldly. "I do whatever Jonny tells me to do."

"Is 'Jonny' the leader?" he asked. They arrived at the tent and Dev nodded his head towards the door.

"Why don't you go in and find out for yourself," he said with a knowing smirk. Taylor gave him a bad look then took a deep breath and walked into the Captain's tent. Dev sighed and turned around, just to run into Lena. He tripped a little and found himself blushing from head to toe. The beautiful waterbender giggled a little and put her hands together in front of her.

"Lena!" Dev exclaimed happily. Lena giggled that angel-like laugh once again before gesturing towards the city. They walked together down the sewer sidewalk in a comfortable silence. Dev glanced at Lena every once in a while, dark strands of her hair blowing lightly in the wind. He smiled, thinking about the day they met. He had just joined the rebellion and was still learning the ropes. At the time he had just gotten out of the Agni Kai gang, and his attitude was still fully engaged. Jonny had found him lying on the street with his belly bleeding after a long sought-out battle between his gang and their rivals the Red Monsoons. He had taken a blow from a large dark-skinned man with an eye-patch. Jonny had found him and had dragged him down to the sewers where Jack, the doctor, fixed him up. When he came around the Captain was waiting for him in a chair, looking calm and wise.

"Where the hell am I?" he had demanded angrily, sitting up quickly. Jonny had raised an eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest.

"I found you dying in the street," he had said, his voice dark and mysterious. "Welcome to the rebellion, kid."

Dev remembered being angry and hostile to the old firebender. He had stood up and was about to pull out his ivy when Jonny grabbed his arm and forced him back onto the bed. "Hold it. You're not well enough to be walking around. You suffered a pretty deep knife wound." Dev had struggled a bit, but he was too weak to fight off the rebellion Captain. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and sat there looking like a ten-year old having a tantrum.

"So this is the rebellion?" he had asked, looking unimpressed. Jonny had merely smiled and chuckled knowingly.

" Just part of it," he answered stoically. Just then the door had opened and in walked Lena. She was wearing a doctor's apron and holding a small basin of water. Dev raised an eyebrow, checking the young waterbender out a little. Jonny had stood up and gave Lena a gentle squee?e on the shoulder.

"Delinquent, this is one of our healers. Lena, meet the delinquent," he had said with a soft smile. Dev had given him a bad look.

"It's Dev," he had retorted with a mean look. Jonny had merely smiled and left Dev alone with Lena. She ignored his stare and placed the water basin on the side board. She had then bended some water around her hands, and they had begun to glow. Turning to him, she had looked upon him with a very cold expression.

"Lift up your shirt please," she had stated, her voice hard. At this point in his life, Dev had been a snarky arrogant bastard who got with any girl he had wanted. And this rebel girl had looked pretty good in his eyes…He had given her a smirk and carefully undressed his torso. His wound had been sown up, and he was now being healed by this beautiful waterbender. She had placed her hands delicately on his wound, and in the next second he had suddenly felt a wave of relief. After a few more moments of that, she let go and dumped the water back into the basin.

"Well, aren't you gonna kiss it all better?" he had asked. In one turn Lena had whipped around and struck him with a sharp water whip move. He flinched and held his cheek that was now bleeding slightly, Lena's face contorted in frustration and anger.

"I don't care who you are or what you've done," she had said angrily. "But the rebellion means something to me…it means a lot to a lot of people." And with that she had stormed out of the room in a huff of anger. Later that day Dev had enrolled in the rebellion.

So after a few months of playing it cool and being a good guy, Dev had finally won Lena's trust and friendship. Now they walked side-by-side down the sewer street and smiled at each other every once in a while. As they made their way through the small, make-shift city, passed the crumbling shops, Lena stopped and turned to Dev with a concerned expression on her face. "I heard about the mission Jonny gave you," she whispered, her blue eyes wide. Dev felt a pit drop into his stomach and he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, not really understanding why he was apologi?ing. Jonny needed someone in the ranks of the gangs here in Republic City. And who better than someone who's already ran with the wolves. He took Lena's hands in his and looked at her straight in the eye.

"I have to. There has to be someone on the inside of the gangs to make sure that they're always in check," he answered logically. Lena sighed and pushed back her hair in the way that she does when she's nervous.

"It's so dangerous," she said with a wince. "You abandoned the Agni Kai's…I doubt they'll be happy to see you again." Dev secretly agreed with her, but he knew that he couldn't back down from this mission. Instead, he held her hand and looked at her straight in the eyes. Her eyes were a shimmering ocean blue, and they were slightly wet from soon-to-be tears. Dev couldn't help but look down, ashamed that he was leavin Lena alone to go off on a dangerous mission. Looking into the waterbender's beautiful deep blue eyes all Dev wanted to do was kiss her right on the mouth, but he knew that doing so would scare Lena off, so he settled with holding her hand. They stood there for a moment in companionsable silence, watching the minutes slowly tick by. For the next few weeks Dev would be deep undercover in the kingpins of the Agni-Ki's, there he would have to do and say so many lies. But for right now, he was happy and content just holding Lena's hand.

**Jonny's POV/The Underground**

He was standing in his tent (like always) looking over some maps to Ba Sing Se when the flap opened up and revealed the boy that Anya had come back with was standing in his war space. He cleared his throat and immediately Johnny was taking stock of the young man. He was taller and leaner, his muscles rippling underneath his skin-tight black outfit. His eyes darted back and forth around the tent, but they weren't nervous or worried…they were analytical and cold. This kid wasn't what he said he was…He cleared his throat and gave the boy a false smile before sticking out his hand in greeting. "You saved the Avatar's life, young man," he said in a welcome fashion. "The rebellion owed you its gratitude." The boy glanced at his hand slightly suspicious and carefully shook it. Without warning, Johnny twisted his wrist upward and handcuffed him to the table. The boy cried out in surprise, but Jonny pushed him down into the seat in front of the desk and rolled up his right sleeve. There sat the mark of the Republican soldier…Bishop's brand…the boy gritted his teeth and looked up at Johnny with squinted eyes. Sitting down in his own seat, Jonny held his chin in his hand and carefully analy?ed the boy.

"What's your name, spy?" he asked calmly. The boy didn't answer, and instead sat there with his back straight and the original shyness façade disappeared. He now looked like a hardened Republican spy taught to kill effectively and quietly. Sighing, Jonny gestured around the tent. "There's no one else here yet, so we've got some time to kill before my men come and throw you behind bars." The boy glared at him angrily.

"Kalden," he stated. Jonny nodded his head slowly and clapped his hands together.

"So…'Kalden'…how old are you? Did Bishop come up with the idea of having Anya save you?" he asked softly. Kalden shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his handcuffed hand.

"I'm 18," he answered unexpectedly. But he didn't answer the second question. Jonny stood up and slowly walked up to Kalden's chair in a threatening manner.

"Did Bishop set you up to this?" he hissed more forcefully.

"Yes," he answered. "You benders create disorder in the world; Bishop is right about you people." Kalden said this with conviction, his eyes bla?ing with fire and passion. Jonny looked at him with burning eyes. And in the next second he punched the young spy in the face, knocking him out. Just then Kyo and Makki came bursting through the tent doors.

"What's going on?" demanded Kyo, his eyes wild. Jonny gestured towards the now-unconscious spy.

"We have a spy in our ranks," responded Jonny. The two looked at him with horror in their eyes, both unable to process this information. Jonny walked around his desk and picked up his radio. He dialed the knob and listened to the static for a second before Cid picked up. "Yo, brother," said the engineer in his usual air of calmness.

"This is a code: Yellow, Cid." Stated Jonny in his General voice. "I need all of the officers in here immediately! Get Badger in here as well, we've got a prisoner for him to cart to the cells." Cid confirmed his order immediately and Jonny looked at the two in front of him with a grave expression on his face. If the spy had time to get word to Bishop of their coordinates, they might already be too late to prevent all hell from raining down on them.

**Anya's POV/The Underground**

She had left Micah and went back to Jinora and Leah's house to clean up and change clothes. While washing her face Jinora had gotten a call on her radio from Cid and was bursting out of the door the next, telling her and Leah to stay inside. Anya immediately felt her alarm bell go off in her head and she peeked out the door. She told Leah to stay put as she crept down the sewer street and made her way to Jonny's tent, which was abla?e with light and activity. She hid in the shadows as the leading officers entered the tent. She could hear everyone's voice hushed and urgent. Without waiting another moment, Anya came out of the shadows and entered the council building. There, standing in a large circle around the table were the leading rebellion officers. However, they weren't looking at the maps, they were surrounding the Taylor boy who was sitting in a chair with his arms handcuffed behind his back.

"What's going on?!" Anya demanded, breaking up the circle. Jonny turned to her, a strange look in his eye.

"Anya, you should be sleeping," he stated sternly. The Avatar put her hands on her hips defiantely and gestured towards Taylor.

"What's going on?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes at the rebellion leader. Sighing, Jonny ran a hand over his forehead and gave Taylor a nasty look.

"Seems like the boy you rescued is actually a spy working for Bishop," he stated harshly. Anya's eyes widened as she turned to the tied up Taylor. The innocent, sweet, face that Taylor once held was suddenly turned harsh and angry. His dark eyes were no longer kind, but were cruel and mad. Makki leaned against the table nex to Anya; she was looking at the boy with an exhausted expression.

"Tell us what you know," she said loudly at the boy. Taylor turned his face away, ignoring them all completely. Ryuu shook his head and put a strong hand on the chair and forced Taylor to meet his ga?e.

"You've been caught, spy," the general hissed dangerously. "So you might as well cooperate and tell us what Bishop knows about the Underground." Taylor merely rolled his eyes and scoffed loudly. Ryuu closed his eyes, trying to control his anger, as he stood up straight and gave Jonny a knowing look. The rebellion leader slammed his hand onto the table in anger.

"If you don't tell us what Bishop knows about the Underground peoples' lives could be at risk!" he shouted at the young man. Taylor then looked at the rebellion leader with disdain spread across his face.

"Try all you want," he hissed back. "You'll never get me to say a thing." Jonny slammed his hand down on the table again, making Jinora jump forward and gently touch his arm in a soothing manner.

"Calm down," she said softly. "He's obviously not going to talk right now. We'll just try again tomorrow; right now we've got other matters to deal with." Jonny sighed and took a few deep breaths before nodding his head and gesturing towards Ryuu.

"Take this _boy_ to the cells," he commanded smoothly. "We'll deal with him later." Ryuu uncuffed the spy and pushed him back through the door. Anya watched him go, noticing how he looked back at her with a mixture of disdain and hurt. As he vanished past the door, the Avatar walked up to Jonny with concern.

"I'm sorry," she said immediately. "I didn't reali?e that he was a spy…it looked like he was in trouble."

"Well, that's exactly what he wanted you to think," Jonny responded a little harshly. He sighed and for a split second his exhaustion and age showed through the worry wrinkles. "It'll be fine. We will just question him later." He then turned to the remaining officers and put an arm around Anya's shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Jinora asked, her gentle face scrunched in worry and concern. Anya merely nodded her head, not really wanting to talk about it. She took a deep breath and, without any prompting, launched into what happened in the prison. She talked about how Bishop came and talked to her, how he had planned to put her on trial for supposed 'crimes' she had committed in her past lives. She then talked about how she managed to escape, and how she found Taylor in one of the cells and how she sprung out of the council building and returned to the Underground. After an hour of nonstop talking, she finally finished, leaving the rebellion leaders in astonished silence. Liu shook her head in shock.

"Wow…," she whispered softly. "Bishop isn't playing around." Jonny gently pushed a hand over his head and gently rubbed her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Thanks for telling us this," he said gently. Anya looked up at him a new determination on her face.

"What happens now?" she asked expectantly. "It's more important now more than ever to rescue my family." Jonny sighed at this, and Anya noticed how the other leaders looked away in nervousness.

"Look, Anya…," he started, however, Anya stood up straight and folded her arms across her chest in defiance.

"I know that tone Jonny, and I don't care what you think," she said forcefully. "Bishop is a dangerous man; If I leave my family in his hands for much longer they might not last that long." Jonny closed his eyes and made a gesture to grip the young Avatar on the shoulder in reassurance, however, she backed up a step and continued to look him seriously in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Anya," he said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "But right now we need to make sure that you're as safe as possible." Anya bristled a little at this, stepping back in anger.

"Jonny, their lives could be at stake!" she exclaimed. Jonny rubbed his eyes tiredly and gave her a sad look.

"Okay, I'll send a few people out to go look for your family, but you have to promise me that you'll stay here."

Anya clenched her teeth together and looked down at her feet in thought. She was feeling restless to find her family, but she didn't want to disappoint the one guy who saved her life. So, with a sigh she nodded her head in consent. Narrowing her eyes, she dropped her hands from her hips and gave Jonny a very pointed look. "Fine, but this conversation isn't over Jonny," she said being as clear as possible. "If your…friends…don't find my family in the next few weeks, I'll go after them myself…no matter what you say." Jonny looked her in the eye, understanding how serious she was being, and nodded his head in acceptance. Letting out a breath of relief, Anya folded her arms across her chest and addressed the whole room.

"What are you going to do with Tay-the spy?" she asked, clearing her throat. Ryuu glanced at Makki and Jonny, as if waiting for permission. before raising his eyebrows and addressing the Avatar.

"We'll interrogate him later today and if he doesn't crack we'll put him back in the cell until he's ready to talk," he answered. Anya nodded her head slowly, but she couldn't help herself from thinking about how it was kind of her fault that he was in the Underground.

"I want to talk to him," she suddenly stated, staring off into space. Ryuu opened his mouth a little in surprise while Liu scoffed, Makki rolled her eyes, and Jonny's eyes widened.

"Why do you want to do that?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"I was the one who brought him in," Anya said, her voice harsh and clear. "I want to be the one to interrogate him."

"She IS the Avatar…," Makki murmured. Jonny gave the waterbender a look as if she had just betrayed him. He turned and faced Anya while stomping his foot in protest.

"It's too dangerous," he said sternly. Liu scoffed and gave Jonny a cheerful slap on the back.

"She's the AVATAR," she said with exaggeration. "She can kind of do whatever she wants…" Anya smiled at Liu in gratitude then turned to Jonny with a determined expression.

"This one isn't negotiable," she stated. The room was silent for a moment, her statement lingering in the air. Finally, Jonny gritted his teeth and gave a barely visible nod of the head.

"Fine," he said shortly. "But Ryuu will be in the room when you question him." He said this and then promptly made an excuse and stormed out of the council building. Anya let out a deep breath, knowing that she would have to apologi?e to Jonny later. Liu watched the rebellion leader and whistled under her breath.

"Congratulations, Avatar," she said softly. "You out-decreed the rebellion leader." Anya shook her head and waved this comment away from her thoughts. She couldn't think about Jonny at this moment; she NEEDED to talk to the spy…now. Turning to Ryuu she opened the door for him and gestured over her shoulder.

"After you Commander."

They walked down the streets together, Anya following the Commander in a determined silence. Ryuu was looking over at her and chuckled a little at her intensity. He cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. "You might want to prepare yourself, Avatar," he stated kindly. "This kid seems pretty determined to keeping his mouth shut. I don't know how you're going to get him to talk." Anya continued to look forward, her face stone cold and stoic.

"Don't worry, Commander," she said, her voice as cold and harsh as her expression. "I'll make him talk." Ryuu watched her closely and nodded his head. They walked the rest of the distance in silence, following the sewer sidewalk all the way down to the dark end of the sewers. The large, muscular form of Badger was pacing in front of the jail cell. He stood at attention as Ryuu and the Avatar came into view. Anya was listening as the Commander explained why he need the prisoner for a little bit longer, instead she was staring beyond the bars of the cell and into the darkness at the prisoner. Taylor, the spy, was sitting with his back against the wall, shackles on his wrists and ankles, and his head was down. Badger fished a large key ring from his pocket and unlocked the cell door. The spy looked up at the Avatar, a smirk forming on his face.

"Well, well…what an honor, Avatar," he hissed, his voice deep and rumbling. Anya just stared back at him and gestured for Ryuu to take charge. The Commander walked forward and forcefully hauled the young man onto his feet and out of the cell. Badger stepped aside for the others to follow and lead them deeper into the dark dungeon area where a small interrogation room sat. Ryuu lead the boy into the room and pushed him into the chair before locking him in chains. The spy faced the Avatar with no look of regret on his face, he was just smug. Anya sat there in silence for a few moments, assessing the boy she saved from Bishop's prison. He had full dark hair that complimented his dark eyes. Though his face was covered in dirt, Anya could detect a few freckles sprouting on his cheeks and nose. Looking at his hands, she could see that he had tried (more than once) to escape his bonds…but to no avail. His eyes darted to the one exit of the room, and she could see that he was trying to come up with a plan of escape.

"I thought you were in trouble," she suddenly said. The boy raised an eyebrow in confusion, so the young Avatar continued. "I saved you because I thought you were in trouble." The boy's smirk widened and he shrugged his shoulders.

"That's what you were supposed to think," he retorted harshly. Anya narrowed her eyes, but didn't flinch at the tone in his voice.

"Taylor-" she started. He raised a hand and stopped her mid-sentence.

"My real name is Kalden," he responded unexpectedly. Anya raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat.

"Okay…Kalden…where are you from?" she asked. Ryuu raised an eyebrow at this, but remained silent. Kalden must have had the same thought because he raised his eyebrows, and for a second Anya broke through that wall of pretend smugness.

"Republic City," he answered. Anya smiled because she could feel that he was telling the truth. Waving this answer away, she cleared her throat and continued.

"What's your favorite color?"

Both of the males in the room were baffled by the question, and Kalden sat there staring at the Avatar in slight confusion. "Um…green," he stammered. Anya nodded her head, feeling the truth in that statement. Leaning forward, she then looked the spy in the eyes.

"Why did you pretend to be a prisoner? Did Bishop offer you a lot of money for the job, or did you do it for some other reason?" When she asked this question she could feel heart skip a beat…a sign of nervousness and anxiety. However, Kalden merely gave a smug look and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm just in it for the money," he answered. Anya sighed and leaned back in her chair, a look of skepticism on her face.

"I think it would be best if you didn't lie to me," she stated. Kalden sat up straight at this and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not lying," he retorted forcefully. Anya shook her head and chuckled knowingly. She folded her hands together and leaned in over the table, her eyes lighting up with a slight spark.

"You see, I can see you're lying," she said smugly. "When people lie they give off of physical tells, my earthbending helps me see and feel those small tells. So…why don't you try telling me the truth…" The spy was looking up at the Avatar with a slightly shocked expression, however he finally looked down at his feet for a moment of silence. Anya nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders at his silence.

"Fine then," she said, her voice sharp. "Let's change the subject…does Bishop know where the Underground is?" The boy huffed and little then looked up, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"No," he hissed. Anya heard Ryuu sigh in relief behind her, but she wasn't finished with the delinquent just yet. Standing up, she leaned against the table and looked the spy straight in the eyes.

"What you said about your friend seeing my family escape…was that true?" she asked. Ryuu swore softly under his breath behind her, but Anya didn't let go. She NEEDED to know if some of her family made it out of the palace. The boy looked up at her with big, wide eyes, and Anya could see that there was something under them…a knowledge that she desperately needed. She amped up her earthbending, listening with every muscle and intuitive thought. Finally, without looking away from her eyes, the boy nodded his head.

"Yes," he stated. Anya let that single word hang in the air as she stood back. She stared at the spy…he was telling the truth. Just then, she felt Ryuu gently grip her shoulder and pulled her back.

"C'mon," he said, jerking her out of her revere. "Rae needs to see you." Allowing the Commander to pull her out of the interrogation room, Anya found herself face-to-face with her firebending instructor. Putting her fist in her palm, she bowed slightly in respect. Rae did the customary bow back and folded her arms over her chest with a sly smile.

"So…I've been thinking about your firebending training…," she started. "And I think you're ready to take your Master's test." Anya stood there in shock, her mouth slack-jawed.

"Really?" she exclaimed excitedly, the thought of her family pushed to the back of her mind. "But I've only been training for a few months."

Rae shrugged her shoulders at this and gave the girl a wink. "I know, but you've been working incredibly hard and you've been improving greatly. You're a natural Firebender, and I think it's about time you joined the ranks as a Master." Anya smiled at this and began following Rae back to the Dojo, however, as she walked forward she couldn't help but look back at the young spy who was currently being dragged out of the cell by Ryuu. He was looking back at her with knowing eyes. Anya turned forward, but she couldn't help thinking about her family and the possibility that they might still be alive.

**Avanni's POV/?**

"You always had the best taste in dresses, Avanni!"

Maria was swirling around her room with the blue dress pushed up against her chest, a big smile on her face. Avanni couldn't help but grin up at her older sister. Avanni had always been jealous of Maria; she was thin and was the most graceful and beautiful. Sure, Avanni was too upset with her own looks, but there was something about Maria…her beauty was simple and quiet…more gentle and serene. The young woman smiled at her older sister and walked over to her large, walk-in closet which was filled with a variety of shiny dresses and gowns. Ila laughed at her two younger sisters, she was sitting on the edge of Avanni's bed with a straight back and crossed legs. The eldest sister was perfect for the role of princess, where's as Avanni was more fit for the role of fashion expert. Giggling, the three of them tried on a few more shining dresses, twirling in excitement for the grand ball being thrown in the palace. Just then, the door burst open and in walked an extremely dirty Anya. Her face was smeared with mud, and her simple blue dress was covered in grass stains. Her dark hair was matted and messed on her head, and her eyes were peevishly bright. Avanni scrunched up her nose at her younger sister.

"Ew!" she cried, stepping away from her mess of a sister. "Anya, you're covered in muck!" Anya nodded her head in excitement, ignoring her sisters' negative reactions to her appearance.

"Gavin invited me to go horseback riding in the outer ring," she said cheerfully. "It was so cool! We got to go through this forest, and I bet Gavin 5 bucks that I could beat him in a race…turns out the horse doesn't like being kicked too much." She sniffed a little and attempted to wipe off the dirt on her face, merely making it worse. Avanni rolled her eyes at her little sister. Out of all the siblings, her and Anya got along the least. They were just too different; Anya seemed to always be trying to get into trouble, and she hated doing anything too girly. Dresses and balls were some kind of torture to the youngest, while Avanni thrived on both.

Ila smiled gently, her motherly attitude suddenly coming forth. She stood up and put a strong arm around her sister's shoulders, leading her out the door. "Why don't we go get you cleaned up and see about finding you a dress," she cooed.

"I don't _want to_ wear a stupid dress," Anya whined. Avanni and Maria laughed, their voices sounding like windchimes in the daylight streaming in from the window.

"You've got company, gorgeous."

Avanni was suddenly jerked into reality. Her beautiful sisters were gone, along with the room and daylight. She was sitting in a dank room with only a small stream of light coming in from the open cell door. Her hair was matted over her face, and her limbs were covered in dirt and muck. The shiny pink dress was gone, and in its place was a tattered prison rag. She slowly looked up to the glare of the light, narrowing her eyes and focusing on her visitor. The memory was slowly fading back into her mind, lost with the other happy thoughts and shiny dresses. It had been a long time since she had a visitor, so she just sat there giving the guard a confused look.

"Get up, prisoner," the guard commanded harshly, spitting a little. Avanni pushed herself slowly to her feet and allowed the guard to walk over and cuff her wrists together. The guard pulled her out of the small cell and down the long hallway.

"Where am I going?" Avanni asked, surprised at the grisly sound of her own voice. The guard, however, didn't answer, and instead continued to pull her down to the first interrogation room. The door was unlocked, and Avanni was shoved in with no explanation, the door swinging shut behind her. The first thing the young woman noticed was that there was a glittering golden dress lying on the metal table. She stared at it, unable to tear her eyes away. It was as if nothing else existed but that dress.

"Please, sit."

Avanni jerked her eyes away from the fabric and looked to see a man wearing a mask sitting behind the dress, his legs crossed and his dark eyes looming from behind the bandana. Suspicion rising up through her veins, the young woman cautiously took her sit on the opposite side of the table. The man cleared his throat and gestured towards the gown. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, his voice gentle and deep. Avanni paused for a moment, not sure if it was safe to talk to this man. Having been interrogated by countless guards over the last 2 and a half years, she was no stranger to misleading questions.

"Yes," she answered truthfully. The man folded his hands together and leaned forward.

"When was the last time you saw a dress like this?" he asked. "It must be nice to see something from…your world again."

Avanni didn't respond, but stared down at the dress. So, the man continued: "I know that you miss your family, but you need to reali?e that we had no choice. Your father was harboring benders." Avanni looked up at the man with disdain on her face.

"You mean my brothers and sisters?" she asked incredulously. The man tilted his head a little, his eyes shining maliciously. He cleared his throat and folded his hands together.

"As unfortunate as it is, your…siblings…are a danger to society. And your father knowingly hid them from the law," he explained calmly. Avanni gave him an angry look and jerked her arms against the cuffs restraining her, clenching her jaw and forcing the angry tears back. The man just sat there with his head tilted, unphased by her anger. After a moment of silence, the man leaned forward.

"You obviously still harbor some feelings for your family, however, I need to reiterali?e the fact that there are laws against bending…bending is _illegal_…harboring benders is _illegal_. If I were to allow them to go, then I would be a hypocrite..and that is something that I am not." Avanni just sat there in silence, her head bowed. After a moment of contemplative silence, she looked up at the man with conviction in her eyes.

"I know why you're here," she whispered, her voice dangerously low. "A few others have come by and questioned me about my younger sister and that guard, and I'm going to tell you what I told them…I love my siblings, and if even one of them got out then I'll gladly wear this burlap sack to keep them out of your grips." The man was silent for a moment after this, his eyes narrowing dangerously, all semblance of charm and dignity leaving his presence. He stood up and pushed the metal chair up against the wall, his fist clenched in anger. He snatched the dress from the top of the table and opened the large interrogation door. A guard was waiting right outside, cuffs at the ready.

"Lock her up," he commanded, his voice deep and rumbling. "And make sure she misses her next meal." He turned to leave, stopping midway out the door. He looked back at her, his eyes shining with cruelty. "Such a beauty…," he whispered. "…wasted."

Avanni looked down at her feet as the guard cuffed her hands together. She walked down the hallway to her cell. The guard shoved her into the small room and slammed the door shut. She was alone once again in the dark. Sliding to the ground, she leaned against the back wall and held her knees to her chest. The only thought that kept her going was the idea that at least one other family member was out there, alive. And maybe…just maybe…she'll get to see them one day.

**Anya's POV/ The Underground**

She was walking down the sidewalk dressed in her firebending training uniform, her eyes focused on her feet. Her stomach felt like it was eating itself, and she couldn't help but clench her jaw at the idea of what was about to happen. Her earthbending training had gone quickly and easily…earthbending was so natural…whereas firebending was more of a forced reaction. Clearing her throat, she looked up just as she ran into a body. Stepping back she pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Oh I'm sorry-" she started but fro?e mid-sentence as she took a look at who she had run into. She looked up into a pair of big blue eyes and felt her cheeks heat up in embarassement. Micah stood there, his hand rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"My bad…," he mumbled. Anya bit her bottom lip, wishing she were anywhere else but in this moment. Micah pointed to her suit. "I heard about your test today," he said, trying to start up a normal conversation. "Think you're ready?" Anya sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Rae thinks I am…"

"But you don't?" he asked softly. Anya bit the bottom of her lip and shrugged her shoulders once again, that being the only response she could think of.

"Earthbending came so easily for me," she explained hastily. "Rae said I'm a natural firebender…but it's not the same," she muttered, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she would soon be facing off with her firebending master. Micah gave her a soft smile and squee?ed her shoulder in a friendly manner.

"I know that you'll do fine," he responded reassuringly. "You're an ama?ing bender…all you have to do is trust yourself." He squee?ed her shoulder a little tighter, his eyes suddenly going soft, and for a second Anya saw something else in there…however, Micah snapped himself out of the moment and quickly let go of her shoulder, taking a step back. He cleared his throat, his face going pink.

"I've got some…things to do at the Control Box…good luck with the firebending test." And with that he was walking hurridly back down the long sewer hallway. Anya watched him leave, feeling a pang of remorse and regret surrounding him. With a long sigh, she turned and continued to the dojo in the middle of the city. As she walked through the doors she reali?ed that Rae had gathered up all of the head firebenders from the Underground, along with all of Jonny's officers. She stood there in the doorway, her eyes wide in sudden panic. Rae was standing on the opposite end of the large floor mat, her body in a defensive position.

"C'mon Avatar," she shouted cheerfully over. "Time for your firebending test." Pausing for a moment, she allowed herself a breath of reassurance before stepping onto the match. She glanced at the crowd of firebenders in attendance and gulped quickly before turning her attention back to her firebending master. Jonny was standing in the middle, his smile glowing at his young protégé. Anya bowed at Rae before carefully getting down in a defensive position. Rae raised an eyebrow with a playful grin, and the two of them circled the mat waiting for the other to strike. Finally, with an impatient roll of her eyes, Rae shot off two heavy rounds of fire right at the young Avatar's head. With a calm collective, she waved the fire away with her hands moving in a large circle. She then collected that fire and shot it back at her master. Rae dodged it easily by rolling to the side, and as she did so she let out a flame from her feet. Anya smiled as she cartwheeled to the left and sent another blast Rae's way.

Rae chuckled as she backflipped awa y from the fire. "C'mon Avatar!" she shouted cheerfully. "I know you can do better than that!" She then did a fancy maneuver with her hands and a large snake-like fire came out and circled around the Avatar. Anya found herself trapped in a large circle of pure heat and flame. The young woman groaned a little and covered her face for a split second. Pulling herself together, Anya closed her eyes and allowed the heat to wash over her. It was nowhere near as precise as earthbending, however, she could still feel a disturbance in the heat…a certain heat wave that was moving behind the flames…With a renewed sense of self, Anya gathered up her energy and ran towards the flame. Without slowing down Anya put her hands in front of her and parted the flame as she jumped through at the shadow on the otherside. She kicked out her feet as she jumped through and managed to take Rae by surprise. She grunted a little in pain as Anya managed to kick her off her feet. Rae was thrown off a little and stumbled to the ground. She managed to jump back up, flames erupting from her feet as she pushed herself back up to standing. Anya didn't allow her master to get stable on her feet, she took a running leap, jumped over her master, flipped upside down and let out two fistfuls of pure flame that shot out of her fists towards Rae. She landed behind her master, continuing the force of fire as she landed to a kneel on the ground.

Rae was engulfed in flames, and Anya only stopped after a full 3 minutes of flames. Finally, breathing heavily, she slowly looked up to see Rae standing there, her arms circling around herself preventing the flame from touching her. With wide, disbelieving eyes, she slowly stood up. Rae smiled and slowly bowed in respect. Anya suddenly became aware of a spattering of clapping going on behind her. She turned to see the other firebenders and the officers applauding with a standing ovation. Rae walked over to her and put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "Congratulations, Avatar," she said with a smile. "You are now officially a Master Firebender." She clapped her hands and was joined by everyone else in a round of applause. Anya smiled, beaming at everyone. She walked over to the row of firebenders sitting on the bottom bench and hugged Jonny tightly. He patted her on the back with a chuckle.

"Congratulations, Little Bird," he said cheerfully. Anya smiled up at him but was interrupted by the whoops of a joyful Lee. The young boy slid up to Anya and gave her a hard high-five.

"You're one of us now!" he said excitedly. Anya shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. She looked over Lee's shoulder to see the beautiful, and cunning, Lisa standing there with her brother. The circus acrobatist sauntered over and gave Anya a look of approval.

"Welcome to the club, Avatar," she said, her voice sharp and witty. She folded her arms over her chest, giving the Avatar an impressed look. Anya merely nodded and followed the procession out of the dojo. She went back to the Airbender's house that night, opening the door to a small surprise party in her honor. Jinora had baked a small cake and lit candles, while Ketu and Leah had gotten together some decorations and went to town on the small house. They all yelled surprise as she walked through the door. Clapping her hands together, Anya blew out the candles and they sliced up the cake.

"You should have!" she said happily. Jinora waved her hand to say it was nothing.

"We had to celebrate your new Master certification," she said, her voice light and airy. She handed everyone a piece of cake and they all sat down to chat cheerfully while they snacked. Just as Ketu was explaining to Anya about his new airbending move, Jinora got a bu? from her walkie. She tried to discreetly answer it, however, the young Avatar could see that something was wrong.

"Well why haven't you been able to get a hold of her?" she whispered. There was a pause, finally she sighed and pushed her hair back over her head. "Alright, I'll pack up and head out by the weekend." She turned off the walkie and turned around to see Anya standing there staring at her.

"What's wrong?" Anya asked, not beating around the bush. Jinora sighed and folded her hands together.

"I've just gotten word that I'm needed at the Southern Air Temple," she said, her voice sad. "I'm leaving tomorrow." Leah and Ketu both looked up from their cake, their eyes wide with concern. She sighed and turned to her children with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice soft. "But Ikki is having problems with some nonbenders, and she needs me there." Anya watched as the small family hugged, choking back tears. She clenched her jaw and looked beyond the kids at Jinora.

"I'm coming with you," she stated without thinking twice about the idea. Jinora sighed and let her children go, keeping a hand on each of their shoulders.

"I can't let you do that," she said sternly. Anya raised an eyebrow and folded her arms stubbornly across her chest.

"You can't _let_ me?"

"Jonny is really protective of you," she said, pointing out the obvious. "You can ask him, but I doubt he'll agree to it."

Ten minutes later, Anya found herself in the Officer's room with Jinora standing a few feet behind her. Jonny was humming slightly as he looked at the young Avatar, his eyes bright. Finally he sighed and nodded his head in consent. "I suppose I have no choice," he said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You've already mastered 2 elements. Besides, if you're going to learn airbending then it's best if you're surrounded by it." Anya smiled and ran up and hugged him tightly.

"I'll be back before you know it," she whispered into his shoulder. He chuckled and looked into her eyes.

"Just hurry back, Little Bird," he said. And with that, Anya was back at the Airbender's house feverishly packing her things.

**Jonny's POV/The Underground**

Jinora watched him carefully as Anya left, then stepped forward. "I'm surprised you're so willing to let her go," she said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the rebellion leader. Jonny sighed and leaned over the maps sitting on the table.

"I'm letting her go so that she's distracted," he stated bluntly. Jinora raised an eyebrow.

"Distracted?"

Jonny sighed and stood up, pacing the room's length before answering. He turned to the wise airbender, his eyes sad and a large wrinkle appearing on his forehead. "I have just gotten word from Eddy that the Earth Queen has passed away in one of Bishop's prison cells." Jinora's usually calm face was quickly distorted into horror. She stifled an exclamation with her hand covering her mouth.

"Why haven't you told Anya?" she demanded. Jonny gripped the end of the table, his knuckles turning white.

"Because if she found out about this she would leave the Rebellion and strike out on her own," Jonny answered logically. "And then Bishop would catch her and kill her." Jinora was silent for a moment meant, her eyes still wide with shock.

"Does anyone else know?" she asked. Jonny shook his head and took a step closer to her, his voice hoarse in a whisper.

"No, and no one else will find out…not yet at least," he commanded harshly. "If Anya was to find this out now, it would send her into a fren?y and she would try to find her family herself." Jinora sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Finally she nodded her head in consent.

"Alright, I won't tell her," she said. "But when she's done with her airbending training you have to tell her Jonny." The firebender nodded his head in agreement, and Jinora turned to leave, but he wasn't done with the airbender just yet.

"Take Leah and Lila to the temple with you," he instructed. Jinora turned around, her eyes shining.

"Of course." And with that, she left, leaving a cold bree?e in her wake. Jonny sighed and sat back down in his seat. He thought of the Queen and everything that she had meant to the Earth Kingdom. He had sent out people around the kingdoms to try and find out where the Earth family had been taken. However, he quickly gained intelligence that Bishop had cleverly separated them. From what he could discern, Avanni and Maria were still together in Blackgate on Whale Tail Island, and Jorah and Aiden were on the Boiling Rock. But he had no idea where the Queen and King were kept…let alone the other two siblings still missing. He sighed and his thoughts floated back to the beautiful Queen. He could see a picture of her in his mind now. She was beautiful, always smiling, always laughing, and always willing to lend a generous hand. Jonny saw a lot of her in Anya, her willing to help anyway in need, her gentle nature…the rebellion leader forced himself to choke down a sob. The Queen was a great loss to the world. With a sigh, Jonny pushed the maps around on the desk and tried to think of a way to get his mind off of the tragedy.

**Dev's POV/The Underground**

He had said his goodbyes to Lena, and was heading out of the sewers when he bumped into the Avatar. She seemed pretty chipper as she lugged a bag down the sewer, her eyes bright with excitement. He caught up to her and raised an eyebrow in question. "What's up, Avatar?" he asked curiously. Anya gave him a smile in greeting.

"Jinora's taking me to the Southern Air Temple to help with some loose non-benders…and I get to train in airbending!" she said excitedly. Dev chuckled at her enthusiasm and slowed his pace to walk with her down the long, dark tunnel.

"So, onto the next bending then?" he asked. "I had heard you passed your firebending test…congratulations." Anya nodded her head and hiked up the bag on her shoulder.

"Thanks," she responded cheerfully. "Airbending will be fun…unlike firebending, it's all about peace and connecting with the world." Dev raised his eyebrow skeptically at this.

"Sounds like a lot of flowers and rainbows to me…," he muttered. Anya shrugged her shoulders, letting the slap go unchecked.

"Maybe, but it'll sure be relaxing compared to the training Rae put me through," she said. Dev followed her up the ladder and out of the sewers. He breathed in the cool air, enjoying the sudden fresh air. Dev helped Anya out of the hole and then re-covered it. Anya stopped in her tracks and looked at Dev with a confused expression.

"Where are you headed?" she asked. Dev nodded towards Republic City and shrugged his shoulders.

"Jonny's got me on a mission," he admitted. "I'm going to be in the city for a while." Anya gave him a smile and nodded her head. They stood there in silence for a moment, thinking about their situation.

"I guess it'll be a while until we see each other, then," Anya said, her voice soft and her eyes wide. Dev smiled and nodded his head. He waved a hand in farewell.

"Good luck, Avatar," he said, bowing slightly in a show of respect. Anya smiled and gave a little bow back.

"Behave yourself," she teased with a smile. Dev nodded his head and waved once before turning around and leaving the Avatar, and the Underground, behind. He looked ahead in his new role as gang member. It wasn't going to be easy to convince those assholes in the Agni Ki's to take him back, but he had no choice. Jonny had given him a mission, and he needed to discover what was going on in Republic City. He put up his hood as he entered the city, getting lost in its streets and alleys.

**Lana's POV/ The Underground**

She grunted as she twisted and kicked the dummy dead set on the side of the head. Smiling at the physical exercise, she flipped over the dummy and delivered to precise blows to the kidneys. If the dummy had been alive, he would have crumpled unconscious right there. She stood up straight and began stretching her limbs, slowly cooling down after a difficult training day. Scar walked over, a knowing smile on her face. "Working hard?" she asked, setting down her gym bag full of heavy boulders. Lana nodded her head and bent over, stretching out her back.

"I haven't had time in the dojo in a while," she admitted, moving onto stretching her legs. Scar nodded her head in agreement and sat down to wrap her hands before beginning to start beating down a large boulder. Lana said bade Scar a happy workout before leaving the gym and going back to her place to take a shower and change into normal clothes. She then made herself a sandwich and ate it on the way to the Control Box, where Cid and Ambrose were waiting for her with big dopey smiles. Ambrose barked twice in greeting as Lana patted him on the head. Cid quickly shooed the large horsedog out of the small room and turned to Lana with his full, undivided attention. Lana gave him a small smile and slinked up to him in his large chair.

"How are you today?" Cid asked softly. Lana smiled and stood between his legs, his hands wandering up and down her hips. Lana bent her neck and kissed him gently on the mouth.

"I'm good, how are you?" she asked, her voice a low purr. Cid smiled and gently kissed her once again, this time making the kiss linger.

"I'm good," he responded with a smile. He looked up at the young nonbender, his face serene, then in the next second it was serious. He nodded over at the radios, a guilty look on his face. "I overheard something today…" Lana gave him a qui?ical look.

"Was it serious?" she asked. He gulped and nodded his head, slowly letting go of her hips.

"Eddy radioed Jonny to tell him that he got word of the whereabouts of the Royal Earth family," he stated. He pushed a hand through his hair and gave Lana a sad look. "Apparently, Bishop killed the Earth Queen yesterday, and Jonny isn't any closer to getting the other siblings out of prison…and two of the children are still missing. No one knows if they died in the palace fire, or if they managed to escape." Lana's eyes went wide and she gasped a little at this.

"What is he going to do about Anya?" she asked, thinking about the beautiful Avatar. "She's determined to find her family…and if she were to find out about her mother then she would…" Her eyes went wide at this and Cid nodded his head.

"She would go after Bishop," he finished. "That's exactly why Jonny sent her and Jinora to the Southern Air Temple. He's hoping that she'll at least master airbending before coming back here and declaring war on Bishop." Lana shook her head and looked down in sadness.

"She needs more than bending training if she's going to go head-to-head with Bishop," she muttered, more to herself than Cid. The blonde man gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" he asked her. Lana shook her head, looking off into the distance.

"She needs to learn hand-to-hand and self-control," she stated, her eyes suddenly shining with determination. Cid raised an eyebrow and gave the redhead a knowing expression.

"Well, when she gets back then why don't you teach her self-defense," he suggested. He leaned in and kissed her neck, pulling her closer.

**Anya's POV/ Republic City Outskirts**

She hauled her duffel to the warehouse where she was embarrassed to see Micah there working on one of the satomobiles. He immediately stood up straight as she walked into the warehouse, his face beet red. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his face was streaked with oil. "Anya!" he exclaimed surprised. "What are you doing here?" The Avatar opened her mouth to answer, however, there was a gust of wind and Leah appeared by Anya's side with the shy Lila on her heels.

"She's coming with me, Lila, and my mom to the Southern Air Temple to start her airbending training," she answered for the Avatar. Micah perked up a little at this and looked at Anya with wide eyes. The Avatar sighed and shooed the two girl airbenders away. She stepped up closer to Micah with an apologetic look.

"It was an unexpected thing," she stated earnestly. Micah shook his head and put his hand up to stop her excuses.

"It's fine," he said tightly. "There's no reason why you need to tell me everything that's going on." He turned away, but Anya quickly grabbed his arm, getting his attention.

"Look," she said in a hushed voice. "I know that things are…weird between us right now…but I still care about you, and I should have told you about going to the Air Temple." Micah's eyes went soft and he gently gripped Anya's hands in his, looking her straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice smooth and low. "I care about you deeply, our timing was just…off." Anya smiled at this and nodded her head in agreement. She shuffled her feet a little and looked up at the blonde engineer.

"Maybe when I get back we can try again?" she suggested. Micah's eyes brightened at the idea and his smile was genuine. He nodded his head and stepped back.

"Yeah, I'll actually take you on a date," he said with a good-hearted chuckle. Anya nodded her head in agreement.

"It's a deal," she stated. He smiled and did a small bow.

"Good luck in your airbending training Avatar," he stated, a smile playing on his lips. Anya jokingly bowed back and watched him leave the warehouse, heading back towards the Underground. Just then she felt a blast of wind and she looked over to see Leah standing there with a wide grin on her face.

"Getting back together with the hot engineer?" she asked, giggling. Anya rolled her eyes and turned around to the airplane waiting for them.

"C'mon," she said, ignoring the airbender's pestering. "We need to get the plane ready for your mom."

**?**

Bishop looked down at the two men from his large chair in the middle of the grand room. "So, the Avatar is headed out of the city?" he asked again, his voice barely a whisper. Lokir nodded his head as he looked up at the world leader with a cruel look on his face.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Jonny was quite willing to let her go after you let it be known that the Queen is dead. He doesn't want her distracted from her training." Bishop chuckled darkly at this and leaned against the chair arm.

"She'll be heading off for the Southern Temple then," he said, more to himself than the other two. "I've sent a small squad to stir up some chaos for those peace lovers." He fell silent, the wheels in his mind turning. It was his right hand man who dared to speak.

"What about the spy I sent into the Underground?" he asked. Bishop waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Forget him," he commanded. "He was a mere pawn in the bigger picture of my plan." Ranger nodded his head and bowed a little in obedience. Bishop sat up in his chair a little, his fingertips pushed together.

"Will we be attacking soon?" Lokir asked, his face lighting up with excitement. Bishop hummed to himself and shook his head. Bishop was silent for a moment, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Yes, we will," he answered. Lokir and Ranger grinned up at the man as he rose to a stand.

"With the Avatar now out of the picture, the Underground is susceptible to attacks. The Rebellion will soon be cowering underneath by grasp." He turned to Lokir, suddenly serious. "I need you to go back to the Underground and weaken their guard…make sure no one is aware of our plan. And Ranger, I need you to gather together all of our commanders and forces around the city. Bring in as many tanks and mechani?ed diggers as you need. We'll beginning attacking in 2 months, when we can get as many men back into Republic City as possible. Soon we will be purging this city of the cancer that is festering below it…"

**Astrid's POV/Republic City**

She walked into the warehouse outside of the city with a slight jaunt in her step. Micah was standing there, his face scrunched up in concentration. She quietly walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, making him jerk up in surprise. He smiled as he turned around to greet her. "Hey Astrid," he said cheerfully. She smiled and gave him a playful wink as she leaned against the satomobile he was working on.

"So, I hear your love interest is leaving Republic City for a while," she said with a smirk. Micah sighed and pushed down the hood.

"She's not my 'love interest'," he responded sadly. "Not anymore." Astrid perked up a little at this and folded her arms across her chest.

"So, the love birds had a little fallout, huh?" she pressed. Micah lifted up his tool box and walked over to set it on the wooden counter nearby.

"Yeah…something like that…," he murmured. Astrid nodded her head and gave him a small smirk of a smile. She hopped onto the counter, facing him with big eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she stated, her voice cheerful. Micah gave her a mean look and turned away from her.

"You sound _real_ choked up about it," he responded sarcastically. Astrid shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and rushed over to his side, walking around the warehouse with him.

"I was never a fan of hers," she said honestly. Micah whipped around at this and gave her a mean look.

"You might not like her," he said heatedly. "But Anya is an ama?ing Avatar. You should show her some respect."

Astrid's cheeks flushed and she put her hands on her hips. "Anya was given _everything_ in the world," she insisted. "She's beautiful, she's rich, she's a princess, she's the Avatar…." She trailed off. Micah gave her a stern look.

"She didn't _ask_ for any of that," he retorted. Astrid just huffed and turned around to storm away before she left the warehouse she gave him one last glance.

"She even has you…," she whispered. The young gypsy stormed out of the warehouse and into the daylight with her teeth clenched. Why couldn't that stupid engineer just see how much she cared about him? But no! He was in love with that prissy…beautiful…talented…princess! Astrid fumed about this as she walked over the Underground entrance and headed straight into the city. She had to get her mind off of the Avatar. So, she pulled up her scarf and dress and pulled out her flute as she made her way to the heart of the city. Whenever Astrid felt sad or confused, she would pull out her flute and play as people walked past. Sure, she wouldn't make a ton of money, but it was a good way to blow off steam…sometimes behind involved with the Rebellion was just too much for her…

Her mother had taught her how to play when she was very young. Her mother had died when she was very young, but she could remember how beautiful she was….how kind and gentle she had been to everyone around her…how she had treated everyone equally…Astrid played with her eyes shut, the only image being her mother's face. She played 4 whole songs like this, ignoring the applause after each song. Finally, when she had no more breath or emotion, she opened her eyes to see a small crowd had gathered to watch. The clapped and slowly dispersed, leaving a few bills behind in her hat. As she picked up the bills, Astrid was aware of a looming shadow overhead. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight, and the adrenaline began pumping through her veins. As she bent over she glanced up at four steel boots standing there in front of her. Without hesitation, Astrid swept her leg underneath the first guy then in a fluid motion pushed herself over the body and barely dodged the second guard before dashing away down the cobbled street. She heard the guard chasing after her, but she was way too fast for him. She jumped over food carts and dodged traffic as satomobiles whi?ed around her. She quickly rounded the corner and hid behind some trash cans near the large Council building in the middle of the city. The guard came around, but he couldn't see her peeking out from the darkness. After a few moments of hopeless searching, he slowly walked away muttering to himself. With a smirk, Astrid began climbing out from the corner, however, she stopped as she saw a familiar figure dart from the shadows into the large building. Curiousity controlling her next move, Astrid swiftly followed him, keeping her footsteps light as she went from shadow to shadow.

It was Lokir, who was supposed to be in the Fire Nation Capital. Frowning, Astrid followed him into the building, close on his heels and darted behind the door as she watched Lokir enter the main room where she could see the dark figure of Bishop sitting on his large throne. She watched and listened with an open mouth as to what the men inside where saying. They were planning on attacking the Underground in 2 months time! And the Earth Queen was dead! She turned around, about to dash off back to the Underground to tell Jonny when she ran into a large, muscular guard standing right behind her. She slowly looked up to see the guard she had just evaded earlier and gulped a little. The guard picked her up by the scruff of her coat and pushed through the doors into the large room. He tossed her roughly onto the floor, where she skidded her knees and slowly looked up to see Lokir standing there, his eyes wide in horror with the second-in-command Ranger standing next to him and Bishop sitting on his large chair in front of them.

"I found her eavesdropping," the guard said, bowing to the Republic leader. Bishop's eyes widened and he turned to Lokir.

"Isn't she one of Jonny's street rats?" he asked, his voice smooth and low. Astrid looked up at him with anger in her eyes.

"My name is Astrid," she said clearly, looking Bishop in the eye. She then turned to Lokir, her face scrunched up in a snarl.

"Traitor…," she hissed. "Jonny trusted you, and you're turning your back on him." Lokir gave her a cruel smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Why stay with the losing side?" he asked, a smirk forming on his face. Astrid shook her head and was about to attack when the guard held her back and pushed her to a kneel on the floor. She looked up at Bishop, her hair falling down on her face.

"What should I do with her?" the guard asked. Astrid felt a pit drop in her stomach, her face went blanch white. She stared at the ground, focusing on the dirt. Bishop got up off the chair and walked a few paces forward. He stopped in front of Astrid, her eyes focused on his boots. Gripping her chin in his hand, he lifted her eyes to meet his cold, cruel ones. He tilted his head a little, his eyes narrowing.

"No," he stated, his voice reverberating in the air. "Put her in a cell…we'll see if we can get any more intel from her; worst case scenario we now have a hostage." The guard bowed before lifting Astrid to her feet and shackling her hands together behind her back. The young gypsy gave the leader a nasty look.

"Jonny's going to beat you," she said suddenly, her bravery coming through. "Even if you break through to the Underground you don't stand a chance against the Avatar and the Rebellion." Bishop tilted his head slightly and leaned forward.

"The Avatar will be dealt with shortly," he said, his voice calm. "But first we must weaken her by destroying everyone she loves…including her support group." He waved his hand and Astrid was dragged out of the room by the guard. The last thing she saw as the door swung shut was Lokir bowing at the feet of Bishop, completely betraying the Rebellion.

**Dev's POV/ Republic City**

He slipped into the city without anyone discovering him. The Agni Ki's were one of the secret gangs in Republic City, and Dev knew exactly where to find them. He walked through the dark city with his color up hiding his face. Coming up to the bad part of town, Dev knocked on an unmarked door squee?ed between a noodle restaurant and a clock shop. The slit in the door opened and a pair of dark eyes peered out at him. "Well, I'll be damned…," the voice whispered. The eye slot slid shut and the door opened to reveal a large, muscular man standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Dev, you sly dog!" he said, clapping Dev painfully in the back. The young man gave him a smile and winced a little at his friendly pat.

"Hey Tank," he said with a smile. "I don't suppose I could get a meeting with the Director." Tank whistled a little under his breath and leaned against the wall.

"You're not exactly his favorite person, Dev," Tank said raising an eyebrow. "Besides, what could you possibly need from the Agnki Ki's? I thought you were in with the Rebellion now?" Dev shrugged his shoulders and put on a fake air of smugness.

"Those goody-two-shoes?" he asked incredulously. "They didn't exactly approve of my…methods..." Tank chuckled and slapped the youth in the shoulder again.

"Ha, you can leave the streets but the streets will sooner kill you before letting you go," he said jokingly. He then opened up the back door and gestured into the darkness.

"Go on ahead," he said. Dev squared his shoulders and looked into the darkness. He was about to go back into the world that had riddled his life with drugs, alcohol, and jail sentences. With a deep breath, he clenched his jaw and walked into the darkness.

**Aidan's POV/ The Boiling Rock**

He was pushed into a chair, nearly toppling over from the impact. His hands were quickly shackled behind the chair and the hood that had been covering his head was removed. A blinding light shone on his face, and he was forced to squint and blink back tears. In front of him he could just see a shadowy shape on the other side of the table. "Hello Aidan" said the figure. His voice was deep, and even though Aidan couldn't see his face, he knew the person behind it.

"Hello Bishop," he responded calmly. The man chuckled and leaned forward, his face showing in the light a little.

"Well, at least we don't have to go through introductions," he said, his voice smooth.

"Why are you interrogating me now?" he asked suspiciously. "Word around the cells is that you've already questioned all of my siblings…so why now? What could I possibly tell you that you haven't already gotten?" Bishop tilted his head curiously and shrugged his shoulders, his eyes shining in the blaring light.

"It's not what you can tell me, Aidan," he said. "It's what _I_ am here to tell _you._" Aidan rolled his eyes at this and leaned back in his chair. He had been in the jail for over 3 years now, and he had already heard about his sister being the Avatar from some of the guards. What more could there be?

"I already know about Anya," he stated harshly. "What else is there?" Bishop leaned back, hiding his face in the shadows and clearing his throat before answering.

"Your sister has just mastered firebending and is moving on to the Southern Air Temple to begin her airbending training," he stated slowly. Aidan laughed darkly at this and stared into the darkness where Bishop sat.

"You better pray that she'll spare your life," he hissed angrily, feeling the poisonous feeling drip in his veins. The eldest sibling now knew that he was probably never going to leave this prison alive, but at least his sister was out there making a difference. Bishop chuckled, unphased by his idle threat.

"Once my men assemble in Republic City we'll descend upon the Rebellion camp," he said truthfully. "And with your sister out of the city, we'll be able to take the rebels and squash their little cause." Aidan's eyes widened in horror as he thought of this. "And with the Rebellion demolished, the Avatar will be crushed and will have no allies; and then I will take care of her…permanently…" Aidan's eyes widened and he shook his head in defiance.

"You'll never get away with it," he stammered, threatening loosely. Bishop chuckled and stood up, sliding back the chair with a loud squeak.

"Oh, but I already have little Prince," he said, his voice a low purr. "And that's not why I called you in here. I called you in to tell you the unfortunate news that your mother has passed away." Aidan felt his blood turn into eyes, his body go rigid.

"What?" he asked, his voice dead quiet.

"Your mother is dead," Bishop stated, and without a backwards glance, he opened the door and left Aidan there alone with his thoughts. As the guard lifted the eldest earth child up onto his feet and back to his cell, Aidan couldn't help but think of his mother and what he just learned. Tears formed on the corners of his eyes, but he didn't let the sobs go until the guard left him alone in his own cell. He curled up into a ball on his cot and stared at the small window into the night. He had been in the prison for a little over 3 years with nothing but sadness, memories, and the idea that his family was still alive keeping him going. But now…his kind, gentle, mother was now dead…the idea was almost unfathomable. He remembered the way that she would laugh, how she would force the kids to do their chores even though Aidan HATED doing chores…now he would do anything to have those days back….A tear fell down his cheek and he let a few sobs escape from his throat. He pulled his knees up against his chest and laid his head against them, praying that the rest of his family wouldn't share the same fate as their mother…

**Anya's POV/ Southern Air Temple**

They arrived at the Southern Air Temple in a mere few hours, touching down in the courtyard as air bison drifted around them. Anya couldn't help but looking from left to right, drinking in the scenery. Puffy clouds surrounded them, and a warm bree?e lulled her into a sense of contentment. The plane touched down and the visitors were greeted by quiet, peaceful, air acolytes who wore the traditional orange garb. They bowed, their noses practically touching their feet to Jinora, showing her the utmost of respect. Meanwhile, Leah was already pulling Lila out of the courtyard, going on about games in the backyard that they had to try. Anya smiled to herself, knowing that here she would be able to begin her airbending training without any distractions. Just then there was a shout and Jinora and Anya looked up to see Ikki flying at them at top speed with her glider. Anya ducked, but there was no need to be worried, Ikki gracefully made a large arch and landed agilly right in front of the Avatar.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you Avatar!" Ikki said loudly, her grin spreading across her face. Anya couldn't help but smile back, finding the younger airbending sister to be quite a surprise. While Jinora radiated peace and calmness, her sister resembled the playful side of airbending. Her clothes were slightly torn, and her hair was kept loosely behind her back. Jinora sighed, but gave her sister a patient smile.

"Hello, sister," she said, her voice smooth and airy. Ikki chuckled and brough her older sister into a bear-tight hug.

"I was wondering when you would come and visit me!" she exclaimed with a knowing wink.

"Jonny told me that you were having problems with some roaming non-benders," she said, getting to the point. Ikki nodded her head and gestured for them to follow. They walked over to the edge of the courtyard and she pointed off near the mountain a few miles away.

"Every day one will make an appearance whether by solo plane or war balloon," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "One of us will just go chase them down and then disappear." Jinora hummed to herself and squinted her eyes suspiciously.

"I don't like that," she stated.

"It's probably just a scout," Ikki said, trying to reassure her. "Bishop knows that if he attacks us, he'll lose. We're snuggled perfectly in the mountains, and we've got lots of air power even if he does try to attack." She walked them through the large front area into the closed off garden in the middle of the temples where there sat do?ens of airbenders in various si?es and shapes either reading quietly, enjoying the beautiful weather, meditating, or walking towards the gaming field where shouts and screeches emitted. Anya looked around cheerfully, watching lemurs and baby bison floating around peacefully.

"This place is so beautiful," she whispered, her eyes shining. Jinora nodded her head in agreement.

"This is the last original temple from the old days," she stated. Anya looked around, noticing how old the paintings on the ceiling and walls were dulled from age, but were still gorgeous.

"What happened to the other temples?" she asked, slightly da?ed. She looked at the old airbender's eyes and already knew the answer.

"The Northern Temple was decimated when the Red Lotus captured Avatar Korra. The other two temples are still there, but they have been altered so much that you can no longer recogni?e them from the originals." She said sadly. Just then, three elderly men with bald heads and profound airbending tattoos walked forward and bowed deeply towards Anya. She smiled and bowed back graciously.

"Welcome to the Southern Temple, Avatar Anya," said the man in the middle. "My Namoi, I am the spiritual leader here." Anya nodded her head and bowed in greeting.

"Thank you for having me," she said with a smile. "The temple is beautiful, it seems to be so untouched from the world."

Namoi nodded his head in agreement and lead them out onto the veranda where Anya could get a good view of the outlying mountains and airbenders meditating in the garden. "We have been fortunate," he admitted. "Because we are surrounded by tall mountains, only flying aircraft can get here. What's more, we 're the most populated, so if Bishop did send airships he would find that only one can enter the area at a time…and we would quickly overrun it."

"It's the perfect defense," Jinora agreed, smiling. Anya looked around her, still ama?ed at how peaceful everything was. Jinora turned to her, her face smooth and calm.

"Why don't you go unpack your things," she suggested. "The girl dormitory is in the right tower. You can go freshen up before I show you where you will be training and meditating." Anya agreed and quickly made her way up the stairs to the top of the girls dormitory where several beds lined the room. Each bed had its own curtains for privacy, but there was a shared common area in the middle, along with a small fireplace. Two airbending girls sat there, giggling away at something as Anya set her dufflebag on the far bed and looked out the window. A few bison floated by, roaring gently at each other, and Anya couldn't help but smile at the world. The Southern Air Temple was exactly what she had imagined it would be; peaceful, calm, and surrounded by natural beautiful. She felt so at peace here, and one with nature, she practically skipped back down to the courtyard where Jinora was waiting with Namoi. She followed them down the stairs and around the corner to a small, quiet part of the large mountain where the sun just touched the stairs. There, a small plateau gave away to a picturesque open area that looked over the edge of the mountain. Jinora and Namoi lead the young Avatar over and carefully showed her a few simple yoga moves to stretch out her muscles before sitting down in a meditation position.

The three of them sat in a line facing the edge. "Close your eyes and focus on your breath, Avatar," Namoi instructed her gently. Anya took a deep breath and closed her eyes , still seeing the beautiful sunlight in her imagination. She concentrated, feeling the power of her breath run through her veins and back into her lungs. She felt herself fall deeper and deeper into this trance, rhythmically breathing. With each fall and rise of her chest, she let a bree?e wander into her mind and then be let go. It seemed a mere few minutes before she opened her eyes again, feeling a sense of renewal and gentle emptiness surrounding her. However, when she ga?ed forward, she noticed how the sun had sun below the hori?on and the moon was out, shining down upon her and lighting up the night sky. Confused, she got up and noticed how Jinora and Namoi were no longer on the meditation plateau. She walked around the courtyard, her footsteps light as air. The air bison were sound asleep, snoring, in the stables, and all of the children had disappeared leaving the courtyard empty and silent. She walked through the yard and back into the main temple where candles flickered in the bree?e. Both Jinora, and Namoi were still up, talking in hushed voices. They turned around as she walked in, both were beaming radiantly at her.

"There's our young pupil!" Jinora exclaimed softly, ushering her over. Anya rubbed her eyes, and gave them a confused look.

"What happened?" she asked "What time is it?"

"It's midnight," Namoi answered, a smile spread across his wrinkled face. "You've been meditating for hours." Anya's eyes widened as she stepped back in shock.

"What?" she demanded. "How is that possible? It's only been a few minutes!" Jinora walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"It seems you are a natural," she said happily. "Airbending should be easy for you to pick up. Because you've already meditated for a length of time, we'll start your physical training bright and early in the morning." Anya smiled brightly at this and bowed once to Master Namoi before running up stairs in excitement for the new day.

**Elijah's POV/ Makapu Village**

_\He was sitting up in his bed, listening to the radio. Elijah found it difficult to get to sleep, so he often found himself listening to soft Ja? for at least an hour before hitting the hay. Just as he was about to throw the covers over himself, he heard a few soft thunks coming from the hallway outside of his room. This normally wouldn't have bothered him (it WAS an old palace after all…), however, accompanying the sounds came the smell of smoke. He jumped to his feet, but just before he could open the door, it swung open to reveal a large man wearing nothing but black with a dark mask covering his face. Elijah didn't question his next move._

_Going purely on instinct, Elijah dodged to the left, barely missing a swipe from the man, and slid on his down on his knees. He slid forward and knocked the man out of the way. Standing up quickly, he darted down the long hallway, fear breaking through his senses as he saw people in black rushing around the hallways, peering around doors and corners. Screams echoed around him, but he didn't stop as he rushed to his parent's bedroom. The door was already thrown open and he slid to a stop as he witnessed a large intruder backhanding the Queen across the face. She fell to the ground with a grunt, spitting blood across the floor. A flash of anger and hatred rushed through his blood and he charged forward without thinking. He flew across the room and kicked the man in the groin before throwing a right hook to his cheek. The punch collided, but the man didn't seem to even feel it. He shook it off with a dark chuckle and grabbed Elijah's hand, holding him up a foot off the ground._

"_Nice try, shrimp," he teased. He threw Elijah across the room and the young boy hit the wall. He crumpled to the ground, slightly bruised. He groaned as he looked up to see his mother hastily get to her feet and throw her hands out protectively. _

"_Please!" she begged the intruder. "Don't hurt him! Take me instead!" Elijah was hurt to hear his mother's voice so fragile and pleading, but it did nothing for the man. He chuckled and backhanded the Queen once again. This time her head collided with the end of the bed and she grunted as she fell to the ground, her eyes shut. Elijah's eyes went wide as he looked down at his unconscious, bleeding, mother. He slid over to her and gently took her head in his hands._

"_Mom…?" he whispered. The man loomed over top of Elijah, his massive form shielding the light. The young boy looked up at the man, his eyes full of tears and hatred. The man merely chuckled at the boy's expression._

"_Now…come here boy and don't try to resist, or you'll end up like your mother…," he hissed, moving forward threateningly. Elijah felt a jolt of anger and rebellion surge through him like a wave, and right as the man swiped down to grab his shoulder he twisted up and launched himself at the man's middle. The hulk was caught off guard and he stumbled back, giving Elijah enough time to dash out of the room and back down the hallway. Shouts echoed around him and he took a second to turn around to check to make sure the man wasn't following him when he collided into someone hard. He fell to the ground, only to be dragged back up onto his feet by a pair of steady hands. Looking up, he saw a familiar face._

"_Jonny!" he said happily, glad to see that at least one of the guards were still around. "My mother….my family." He couldn't stop stammering, so the guard put his hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes._

"_You need to get out of here," he said, his voice clear and deep. "There's an open window in the back of the near the kitchen. Head that way and get out of the First District." Elijah shook his head, his eyes wide with fear._

"_I have to help them!" he shouted. But the guard shook his head and pushed him away down the hall._

"_I'll take care of them," he said hurridly. "Just get yourself out of the city as quickly as possible. Stay away from the main streets and keep to the shadows." And with that, he turned around and sprinted back down the hallway. Elijah stood there, stunned. How could he leave his family? This question was answered for him as two more intruders appeared with electrified weapons. They spotted the young prince and began running towards him. Clenching his jaw, he turned and ran away from them as fast as possible. Ditching them around the corner, he watched them disappear down the grand stairs. He then turned a few more corners and came upon the empty kitchen. While the rest of the palace was in turmoil, the kitchen seemed strangely empty and quiet. There were no intruders, and no fires had broken out here. The only thing noticeably different was the window had swung wide open, revealing the dark night. Elijah climbed onto the ledge, but stopped himself and looked back at the palace. Flames licked the walls and he could hear shouts and thuds from above. He felt a tear slowly slide down his cheek as he slowly climbed out the other side. He turned away from his home, from his family, and began sprinting in the opposite direction._

Elijah jolted up with a start, his breathing heavy and sweat beading on his brow. He looked around the room, confused as to his location. Finally, recognition came to him and his heart slowed back down. He was in his small motel room in Makapu Village, and the sun was just starting to peek in through the shades. "Another nightmare?" the deep voice of Kota caught Elijah's attention and he turned to see his hulking form sitting on the plush chair in the corner. The young prince rubbed his eyes and got out of bed without answering his friend. He stretched his muscles, the large scars across his back muscles glinting in the sunlight. It had been nearly 4 years since the palace fire, and yet he was still bearing that feeling of guilt deep down in his stomach. His companion stared at him with sad, knowing eyes, and stood up. He walked over and put a steadying hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for what happened," he said for the one hundredth time. Elijah brushed off his shoulder and opened the curtains to the window, revealing the daylight seeping in.

"C'mon," he said, glancing back at the large man. "We have one last delivery to the fish market to make before we can collect our paycheck and head towards the City." He opened the door and walked out into the daylight. People were beginning to stir in the village. Businesses were opening their stalls, and standees were setting out their wares. Out in the bay fishermen were already hard at work and were setting up their nets and hauling crates onto ships. Elijah walked past the people and made his way onto one of the rustier looking vessels named _Charlotte_. It was captained by a man with a wooden eye and slight gimp to his step. He was barking orders at his men as the two comrades approached. He turned around, squinted his eyes at the young prince and hawked a lugie right there on the deck.

"Back for more, eh?" he asked. He whistled and two men brought over some large barrels, filled to the brim with a variety of fish and crustaceans. Elijah merely glanced up at the man as he began the tedious task of dragging the barrel off the deck. Just as he was leaving the captain yelled at him a reminder to bring him back his cut. Kota followed his friend without saying anything; managing to lug two barrels by himself. They hauled the barrels to the fish market, making it in time for the morning rush hours. A few fish stalls paid them for their wares, and they went back to the ship to give the captain his cut.

Elijah wordlessly went back to the hotel and began to pack up his few belongings when Kota stopped him with a sullen look. "What?" Elijah demanded darkly, already knowing what the large man was about to say. Kota folded his arms across his chest and stared down at the young prince.

"We could stay here," he suggested for the one-hundredth time. Elijah rolled his eyes and pushed past the man back into the streets. He walked down the street with a determined expression, Kota following behind, still intent on making his point. "We've been travelling for years, Elijah. I think it's time to accept the fact that your sister is on her own." Elijah whipped around and glared at the man furiously.

"You want me to just give up on my family?" he demanded. The two comrades have been having this discussion since they joined up together. It was becoming a common theme: Elijah would drag Kota with him to a new village or town, they would find menial work to make a small amount of money, Elijah would work wander around the city and ask around to see if anyone had seen any of his family or know where the Rebellion is; and then when his hopes had been dashed Elijah would pack everything up, cross the village off of the map he carries around in his pocket, and would move on to the next town. The two of them had journeyed across the Earth Kingdom, visited both Water Tribes, searched the Fire Nation Capital, and two of the Air Temples. With each failure, Elijah would just get more determined to find his family and would forge on. Kota, however, was getting tired and weary from the endless barrage of travel and re-location. He reached out and grabbed Elijah's arm, spinning him around. His eyes were sad and concerned as he looked at the lost prince.

"I know that it hurts," he whispered sympathetically. "But your family wouldn't want this life for you. We've been running nonstop, never fully settling down somewhere. I don't know how much longer I can take this…and I _know_ you can't take it much longer either."

Elijah stuck out his jaw in defiance as he jerked his arm out of the man's grasp. "I'm fine, Kota."

The large man raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "You have perpetual bags under your eyes, you work for hours on end, you're always in a bad mood…when's the last time you had a full night's rest?"

Elijah gave him a bad look and turned around, facing the road out of the village. "I sleep just fine, Kota," he insisted, his voice giving away his weariness. "Even if I _am_ tired it doesn't matter. The only thing that I care about is finding my family…Anya's the Avatar, she _has _to be with the Rebellion…and the Rebellion _has _to be in Republic City…we've looked _everywhere_ else…" He trailed off, his eyes focused on the hori?on. Kota sighed and walked up to the prince's side.

"You've been dealt a great sadness in life," he said, his voice a gentle wave of reason. "But you can't continue on like this…_I_ can't continue on like this…it's time for both of us to get lives of our own. I know that you want to believe that the Avatar is with the Rebellion, but there's no guarantee that she is…or even that the Rebellion is in the City at all. I think it's time that you accept the fact that you might not see your family again in this life." He paused for a second, watching Elijah's hardened expression turn to one of sadness and guilt. He put a steadying hand on the prince's shoulder and gave him a sad look. "Republic City is the end of the line for me, brother. I have a cousin who's offering a good job with good money and decent benefits." Elijah nodded his head in understanding, his face tired and worn. He clapped a friendly hand on the man's upper arm and gave him a short smile.

"You deserve it, my friend," he said honestly. He looked forward to the rising daylight, his face lit by the sun. "So, one last journey then together." Kota smiled, and the two of them walked forward to greet the afternoon.

**Jonny's POV/ The Underground**

He paced a long the large conference room, his eyes downcast and his mind reeling. Fumes could practically be seen swirling out of his ears, so he hardly noticed it when the door swung open and revealed Makki, her eyes wide as she watched her leader pace. After a moment of silence, she cleared his throat and got his attention. "What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the look on the waterbender's face. The woman sighed and walked over to him past the large oval table.

"The Southern Water Tribe Chief's son is missing," she said with an exasperated sigh. "And because he lent us the supplies for this last month he's expecting the Rebellion to help find him." Jonny stayed silent, letting this sink in for a moment. Finally he rubbed the back of his neck and turned towards Makki.

"Of course we'll try to help," he stated with obvious impatience. "But we can't waste too many men on hunting down a runaway." Makki nodded her head in agreement, but she paused at the tone in his voice.

"Something's wrong…," she whispered, noticing the look in his eyes and spread across his face. Jonny sighed and slowly shook his head.

"I feel like something's about to happen…," he said, trailing off. Makki narrowed her eyes and leaned against the table.

"What do you mean?" she pushed. Jonny sighed and sat down on the corner, his eyes focused in the distance.

"Fay got word from Astrid that Bishop is moving all of his away troops to the City," he stated. "There's only one reason why he would make that big of a move…." Makki's eyes grew wide as she took in what he said. She understood where he was getting at…and the thought rose like bile in her mind.

"He's planning on attacking the Underground…," she finished, her voice barely at a whisper. Jonny nodded his confirmation and the two of them stood there in stone silence, afraid of what was to come. Makki finally stood up and gave her leader a stoic expression.

"Well then we have to get everyone prepared," she stated, ready to spring to action. Jonny nodded his head but immediately stood up and stopped Makki from leaving just quite yet.

"Get all of our away-missions back here immediately," he commanded strongly. He took a few steps forward and gripped Makki's arm tightly, looking straight in her eyes so that she would understand him completely. "This can't get back to the Avatar. Nothing is more important than her getting through her training. If she found out about the Underground she would immediately come back and would risk getting captured by Bishop. This needs to stay here." Makki was silent as she stared at him for a moment, her dark blue eyes drilled holes into his head for a mere second before he finally consented with a nod of her head. She left Jonny alone in the tent with his own thoughts. He started at the large map sitting on the table, his thought on the Avatar. The firebender general turned around and began packing away his things, trying not to think about what was coming for them all…

**Anya's POV/ The Southern Air Temple**

"Now just let yourself go."

Anya was standing at the very edge of the tallest cliff of the Southern Air Temple. She was hanging on tightly to the red hang glider Ikki had given to her earlier that day. She was all clad in monk garb compete with slipper feet and braided hair. She was looking down at the long drop that ended in sharp rocks, her eyes wide. "I…I don't think I can do this…," she stammered, taking a few steps back. Ikki grinned mischeviously and pulled her goggles down onto her eyes.

"C'mon Avatar!" she shouted as she got down in a ready position. Just then there was a burst of wind and Ikki was sprinting towards the end. Without any hesitation, she flung herself off the edge and into the air. Anya's mouth fell open in surprise as she watched Ikki angle upward and soar through the airs. She laughed loudly, her hair whipping wildly behind her. Looking over the edge, she took a reassuring breath before slowly backing up and holding up her wind glider. _Just don't look down…take a deep breath….and…_Without another thought, Anya ran towards the edge and took the leap of faith. She felt the wind lift the glider upward into the sky, and her hair whipped back away from her face. She slowly opened her eyes and looked to see that she was flying. The feeling rose up in her belly, and she let out a bell-like laugh of relief and excitement. She swooped and dove in large acrobatic circles, her face showing nothing but pure joy and laughter. Anya glided through the air easily. Gliding came so naturally to her. Ikki glided up next to her and laughed out loud, her graying hair streaming wildly behind her.

"You're a natural!" she shouted encouragingly. Her eyes sparkled as she moved to the left, then with a swoop of air, she suddenly shut her glider and spiraled downward in an insane dive. Anya shouted, but Ikki quickly pulled up, swooping high in the air, completely in control. After a few minutes of fun gliding, Ikki gesture back towards the courtyard and Anya followed her back to the ground. She shook her hair out a little and smiled widely up at the Master Airbender.

"That was INCREDIBLE!" she said excitedly, her eyes sparkling. Ikki winked and walked with her through the courtyard and back into the gardens. There, a few flying bison were gra?ing pleasantly on the grass while Airbenders of all ages and si?es walked around calmly, serene looks on their faces. There was a gentle wind blowing through the area, and Anya closed her eyes peacefully. She turned to Ikki and gave her a smile.

"So, what's next in my training?"

**Elijah's POV/ Republic City**

They reached the city in a little under 2 weeks and their first stop was to a small, noodle restaurant where the friends feasted ravenously on several different dishes. After dinner, the two friends found a motel to sleep for the night. In the morning Elijah packed up his things and followed Kota to the docks where he was starting his first day. As they got to the docks, Kota turned to Elijah, his eyes shining brightly. "I guess this is where we part," Elijah said with a sad smile. The large man sighed and brought the prince into a friendly hug.

"It's been quite the adventure, these past 3 years," he stated. He let go and bowed deeply in respect. "It has been a pleasure Elijah Romanov. I wish you all the luck in the world so that you may find your family." Elijah smiled, feeling a pang of sadness over the separation of his friend. Kota had been there for him for years, and now they were parting ways…but he knew that he had to leave and find Anya. So, with a heavy heart he bowed to his companion out of respect and waved goodbye as he headed into the city.

The city lights danced around him as the day slowly worn off and turned into night. Horns went off sporadically as he walked around. He toured the Spirit vines where pleasant spirit creatures floated around while families walked through the vines. Just as he was making his way into the business area where small business owners were beginning to set up shop, there was a small commotion from down the street. Just as he turned, he was pushed to the side by a small dark-haired boy with a goofy grin. Right after him came two non-benders with official police uniforms. Curious, Elijah followed them, keeping to the shadows as the boy jumped from alley to alley. Just as the nonbenders had him cornered, the boy chuckled peevishly and suddenly jumped up with a burst of flame erupting from his feet and pushing him up onto the roof.

"A bender!" shouted one of the guards. Elijah's ears perked up at this as he climbed a ladder up onto the roof and watched the boy easily outwit the guards and hide out in a vent as they ran past. Elijah hid behind a chimney and came out just as the boy climbed out of the vent. The boy turned around and his eyes went wide as he caught sight of Elijah.

"Who are you?" he demanded, stepping back and getting ready to run. Elijah put out his hands in a calming manner and took a step forward.

"My name is Elijah," he said truthfully, pausing for a split second and thinking about how strange it felt to admit his true name. "What's your name?" The boy paused and si?ed Elijah up with narrowed eyes. Finally, he got out of his defensive position and gave Elijah a suspicious look.

"I'm Lee," he answered, his voice squeaky and his amber eyes shining. He furrowed his brows , a thought obviously on his mind. "You look kind of familiar…." He trailed off in thought. Elijah clenched his jaw and cleared his throat.

"If you're a bender I don't suppose you would have any idea where the Rebellion is?" he asked gently. The boy's eyes narrowed and he took a step back, suddenly defensive once again.

"Why do you care?" he demanded harshly. Elijah put up his hands once again in a calming manner and stepped forward.

"I'm looking for someone," he answered vaguely. "And I think she might be with the Rebellion." Lee suddenly stood up straight, his mouth opening slightly in recognition.

"I know you!" he exclaimed suddenly, his eyes widening in surprise. "You're Anya's brother! You're Elijah Romanov!" Elijah felt his stomach drop and he put a hand on the boy's shoulder desperately.

"Do…do you know Anya? Is she here?" he asked desperately. Lee smiled widely and nodded his head vigorously before gesturing over his shoulder.

"Follow me," he said, jumping down from the building without pause. Elijah followed him, darting across the shadows. Lee was fast and spry as he ducked past the buildings and guards patrolling the streets. Elijah almost had trouble following the boy, but he managed to keep up. The two of them dodged the guards and made their way to the edge of the city and past the main gates into the lowlands. Elijah struggled to keep up with the quick steps of the boy, who was busy looking around him suspiciously and nervously. Elijah was about to ask where they were going when the boy suddenly picked up a large manhole cover from the ground and pointed down to the sewers. Holding back a nauseated look, Elijah followed him into the darkness. The boy covered the sewer entrance with the cover and hopped down after the earth prince. The tunnel was pitch black until the boy brought up a fist full of fire.

"You're a firebender!" he exclaimed. Lee chuckled at this and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Well, yeah," he said obviously. He led the way down the long dark tunnel, around several corners. To Elijah it was like a labrynth, he didn't know how on earth the firebending boy could possibly know where he was going, but he wasn't hesitating when he turned corners. Just when Elijah was about to ask where they were going they turned another corner to a large area. Elijah's jaw dropped as he found himself staring at a large, bussling make-shift city. There were a few large buildings surrounding the sewer river while the center sported a mix of shops and grocery carts with fruits and vegetables.

"Wow…," Elijah whispered, whistling in an impressed manner. Lee gave him a small smirk and gestured for him to follow. He walked past kids and families, surprised at the general cheerful mood surrounding the area. It was shockingly…normal…for being a Rebellion. Lee led Elijah through the small make-shift city to the opposite end where there sat a large community building built into the wall.

"This is the Council Office," he stated. He then walked up and knocked on the door. There was a pause until it swung open to reveal a large conference room which was holding a meeting of several tough-looking people. Lee pulled Elijah through the door and the Romanov looked around at the eyes staring back at him. Looking forward he saw that at the head of the table stood a middle-aged muscular man with a Mohawk and amber eyes. His arms were crossed over his chest, but he looked slack-jawed at the earth prince. For some reason Elijah felt like he had met the man before…something was so familiar about him…He dropped his arms and stared, shocked, at Elijah.

"Guy, this is-"

"Elijah Romanov…," the middle-aged firebender finished. Lee smiled and nodded his head in confirmation. Just then Elijah felt a sudden reali?ation. He was at the ball that night when everything changed...Anya would always complain because he was around…this was Anya's personal guard…

"You were there that night…," Elijah whispered, narrowing his eyes. The firebender smiled and put a strong hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Welcome to the Rebellion, Your Highness," he stated. Elijah smiled, feeling a sense of relief and exhaustion hit him like a wave. He held back a sob as he looked around desperately.

"Where is she?" he asked desperately, his eyes widening as he looked at the guard. The guard sighed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"She's training at the Southern Air Temple," he answered truthfully. Elijah felt his stomach lurch and he clenched his jaw, trying to control himself. He'd come all this way and she was gone…of course…he steadied himself with a deep breath.

"Do you know when she's coming back?" he asked slowly. The guard looked over at his companions as if asking for help then turned to the earth prince and gave him a sad look.

"Why don't we take a walk…"

**Dev's POV/ Republic City**

The night was dark as he hid behind the corner of a large storage unit at the docks. He looked around the corner to see the last dock guard's light shine out of sight, which gave him the go-ahead signal. Darting through the shadows, he double-checked to make sure that the guards were out of sight before taking out his pick-pocketing tools and unlocking the storage unit. Inside was a large shipment of weapons and supplies. There was a clap on his shoulder and he turned to see one of the Agni-Ki's heavies standing there with a grin on his face.

"Good work Dev," he congratulated the boy. "The Director will be happy when he show him our new merchandise." Dev just grunted in the affirmative, trying to hide the fact that he didn't like stealing. Just as they were about to leave with the stolen goods, two lights shone from down the way and the voices of policemen were heard. They all turned and began running in the opposite direction towards the gate to the dock warehouse when two policemen jumped out from the other side, blocking their exit. The two goons that Dev had accompanied were sprinting towards the guards with hardened looks of killers. They would not hold back, and Dev knew he had to protect the policemen as best as he could. Jerking his hands up, the ground shook and split open, creating a ditch in front of the policemen and blocking them from the gangsters. The two gang members slid to a stop and looked back at Dev with angry looks. He put a calm face on and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"C'mon!" he said hurridly. "We don't have time for this. The Director wants these goods ASAP. We don't have time to mess up some guards." The two gangsters glanced at each other then followed Dev out of there.

They arrived back in the city just as the street lights were turning off and the sun was beginning to rise. They entered the club through the back door and hauled in the stolen contraband. The three men dropped off the stolen goods in the Inventory room before making their way to the bar in the center of the club for a cold drink. He sat on one of the stools at the bar and ordered a light beer, his eyes drooping a little from exhaustion. Ever since he got back into the gang the Director has had him proving his loyalty by completing a long list of missions; most of them illegal and dangerous. Just as he was taking his first sip a large, tattooed goon walked over with a frown. "The Director wants to see you in his office," he grunted. Dev sighed and pushed off the stool. He walked down the hallway and knocked on the last door with the DIRECTOR label. The door swung open and revealed a large oval office with a large wooden desk at the end. The Director was sitting casually behind the desk while two of his personal bodyguards stood near the door. Dev walked forward, his sense tingling. The Director smiled and welcomed him with open arms.

"Dev, my boy!" he exclaimed cheerfully. He sat up in his chair and folded his hands together and leaned onto the desk.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Dev asked, getting straight to the point. The Director clapped his hands together and quickly stood up, walking around the young man and gripping his shoulder in a friendly manner

"You have been doing fantastic work since your return to our family," he stated, his voice dripping with false kindness. Dev raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. The Director walked around him slowly and sat on his desk, his eyes shining. "It's kind of like you never left…." He paused and suddenly his eyes narrowed. He stood up and folded his arms across his chest.

"What happened to you? When you were gone?" he asked suddenly, his voice lowered and dangerous. Dev didn't let the shock or worry flash across his face, he merely cleared his throat and looked the Director straight in the eyes.

"I moved out to Ba Sing Se. I've got a cousin out there who got me a job in the market," he stated calmly. The Director's eyes narrowed and he nodded his head slowly.

"You see, that's funny…," he said, his voice a low purr. Dev glanced back to see that the two goons had stepped forward menacingly. "Because one of my guys saw you coming out of the sewers where Jonny's cooped up." Dev clenched his jaw and stepped back, but bumped into the guards. He balled up his fists and looked into the Director's eyes. The man was a few inches away from his face, his hot breath sticky on his face.

"You're not really back to join the family…" he hissed angrily. "You're playing _spy_ now for Jonny's little Rebellion." Dev clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes, getting down in a defensive position.

"Let me leave," he warned quietly. The Director laughed maniaclly, throwing his head back in dirision.

"What made you turn Dev?" he asked, pacing in front of the young man. "You were _so_ dedicated to this family. You used to be a remorseless killer with little to no morale. You were like a son to me…and now you've turned rebel lackey?" Dev narrowed his eyes and looked cruelly at his old father figure.

"Jonny doesn't use me," he stated loudly. "The Rebellion helps people." The man laughed maniaclly again and shook his head.

"No…," he said, trailing off. "There's something else isn't there…or is it a 'someone' else…?"

Just then one of the goons walked forward and shoved a picture into Dev's face. It was a still of Lena making her way down the street, her eyes downcast. Dev jerked a little in anger and the two goons held his arms back. He struggled against the men, but to no avail. The Director laughed a little at this and wagged his finger tauntingly in front of the earthbender.

"She is quite a doll, isn't she?" he teased menacingly. "You've had plenty of good-looking dames, Dev. And you settle down for this…Southern Tribe waterbender? I mean, she's good-looking, but she's not _that_ good-looking." Dev felt a hot anger rush through his veins and he jerked against the goons again.

"Leave her alone," he hissed. The boss laughed again and gripped Dev's shoulder cruelly, leaning in for affect.

"Don't worry, my boy," he said. "We won't hurt your dame…" He walked towards the door and carefully locked it. He looked over his shoulder at the young man, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"…but we _will_ hurt _you_…" he clapped his hands together and suddenly the goons jerked Dev back and curled up their meaty hands into fists.

**Anya's POV/ The Underground**

"Alright Avatar, let's see what you got."

Anya was facing Jinora, her body down in a defensive position. Leah and Lila were watching on the edge of the training circle while Ikki was busy meeting with the other Master Airbenders. The sun was beginning to set and there was a slight bree?e in the air. She took a deep breath and began waving her hands slowly in a precise formation. Just then she felt the wind shift around her until suddenly there was a small wind tunnel on the palm of her hand. She opened her eyes to see this and giggled with relief. Anya then moved her feet in a circular motion and the wind followed her lead. She was airbending! Jinora watched her with a large smile on her face as Anya went through the basic motions as easily as if she was born an airbender.

"Wow, you're a natural!" she said encouragingly. Anya smiled as her friends applauded. The sun shone down on her, and for the first time Anya felt like she was actually an Avatar…

**Lena's POV/ The Underground**

She was sitting in her healing lesson with Makki, her eyes focused on the dummy lying in front of her. She was working on her deep-scar tissue technique, trying to break through the surface of the fake skin. Makki clicked her tongue and readjusted the young woman's hands. "You need to focus on the origin of the scar," she said patiently. Lena sighed and pushed the dummy away in frustration. Makki watched her young pupil carefully, her eyes narrowing.

"What's wrong, Lena?" she asked, her voice light with concern. "You're usually more focused than this." Lena sighed and pushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry, Makki," she responded guiltily. "I guess I'm just….

"Worried about Dev?" Makki finished. Lena looked up at her mentor and reali?ed she couldn't lie.

"Yes."

Makki smiled and gave her a reassuring pat. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's—"

Just then there was a bu? on her radio and she picked it up with a frown. "Yes, what is it?" There was a long pause in which her frown deepened and soon she clicked off and turned to Lena with a sad expression. "Carla found Dev above ground," she said slowly, her eyes sad. "He's pretty badly beaten up…" Lena's stomach dropped and her eyes widened. She pushed past her mentor and sprinted through the city to the infirmary in the corner. There, Dakari and Sakari were bent over Dev's body, their hands raised in healing. Dakari glanced at Lena and gestured her over. She looked down to see Dev half-naked on the table, his torso covered in cuts and bruises, and his face contorted in pain with his eyes shut.

"What happened?" Lena demanded, putting on a medical apron and soaking her hand in water. Dakari shook her head and hummed in concentration.

"He's got some major bruises and a few cracked ribs," she answered as her hands ran along his sternum. "Sakari's working on his head…it looks like he's got a bit of a concussion. Lena stifled a wimper and began going through the medical motions. Her glowing hands hovered carefully over his body, not missing any bruises or minor cuts. She diligently stayed at his side as the hours wore on. Eventually Dakari and Sakari retired for the evening, claiming that he was no longer critical. But Lena couldn't leave him. As she continued to tirelessly run her hands over his torso, she thought back to when she first met him.

It had been eerily similar to the situation they were currently in. Lena had just started at the Rebellion and Jonny had called her into the infirmary on an emergency. She walked into see a wannabe gangster with serious injuries laying on the table. He had said a smart-ass thing about her and she had let her anger get the best of her and she slashed him across the cheek with a water whip. As she had walked out of that room, Lena had been sure that the boy would run at the first chance he got. However, to her surprise, he reported for the duty the next day as a sworn in member of the Rebellion.

Lena smiled at the memory as she hovered her hands over his torso for the fifth time. Just as she was reaching his abdomen his hand suddenly reached up and touched her hand. She was so shocked she dropped the water, making him groan. "Ugh…that's cold…," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He looked up at Lena through squinted eyes.

"Thank god you're awake!" Lena exclaimed softly, gently touching his cheek. Dev chuckled hoarsely and gently put his hand on hers.

"C'mon…," he whispered. "I'm invincible, remember?" Lena smiled sadly at this, relief flooding through her mind.

"Just don't do that again, okay?" she whispered. She then bent over and kissed him lightly on the lips. He was unresponsive but he smiled and gently touched Lena's cheek in a loving manner.

"Let's continue this conversation later," he said with a smile. "Right now I'm a bit tired…" He looked like he was about to pass out so Lena nodded her head and held onto his hand as she took a seat by his side and watched him fall asleep.

**Anya's POV/ Southern Air Temple**

It was early before dawn and everything was calm around the temple. Anya didn't usually like getting up this early to meditate, but for some reason she just felt the need to on this particular day. So, waking up, she climbed the long stairs to the top of the temple and looked out over the hori?on as she steadied her breathing and sat in meditation form. As her eyes shut she felt a presence lay heavy on her chest…

_She was facing a long dark hallway with blinking fluorescent lights and doors lining each wall. She was shorter, younger, and trembling in anxiousness as she slowly made her way down the hallway. The doors and walls were made of steel bars and as she walked past the first one she saw her sisters Maria and Avanni sitting there alone and quiet. Confused, she kept walking, passing the second cell door which showed her brothers Aiden and Jorah sitting there and looking down defeatedly. The third door held Elijah who was surrounded by a low flame and drainage tunnels. The fourth door showed Ila dressed in strange wrappings with sand dunes surrounding her. She passed them all without a word, feeling herself drawn to the final door at the end of the hallway. This door was made out of solid steel and as it swung open to reveal a living room inside. She walked in, feeling strangely at home as the roaring fireplace in the corner caught her attention. A woman sat in the chair in front of the fireplace, humming an oddly familiar tune. Anya cautiously walked up and just as she was about to say something, the woman turned around in her chair and smiled down at the young girl._

"_Hello darling." _

_It was her mother, the Queen. Her face was perfect and serene in the light of the flame and she held a book in her hands. Her eyes radiated warmth and her smile was welcoming. Anya felt a flood of relief hit her like a wave and she was suddenly content, free of all of the anxiety she had been carrying for 3 years. "Mother," she whispered walking forward in awe. The woman smiled cheerfully and gestured her daughter forward. She reached out and caressed Anya's cheek, the young Avatar feeling a tear escape her eye and run down her cheek. "I'm looking for you, mom," she stated out loud, trying to reassure the woman. The Queen's smile turned sad and she wiped her daughter's tear away._

"_I love you so much," she said calmly._

"_I'm going to find you," Anya said once again, needing her mother to understand._

"_I'm so proud of you…"_

"_I'm going to find my siblings."_

"_You've been so brave..."_

"_I'm going to find dad too, and then get us all together again."_

"_I love you."_

"_We're going to be a family again."_

"_Tell your siblings I love them too," her mother whispered sadly. Anya felt another tear fall down her cheek. In her heart she knew that something was wrong. There was a reason why her mother was here…Anya put her hand on the Queen's, gripping it tightly, not wanting to ever let go._

"_I'm never going to find you…am I?" Anya asked, knowing the truth in her heart. Her mother smiled sadly and gently let go of her daughter's cheek, leaning back in her chair._

"_Bring our family together again," she said, her voice gentle and clear. Anya reached towards her mother desperately but she was being pulled back out of the room by an invisible force._

"_Come with me!" she shouted desperately._

"_Be strong!" her mother said encouragingly as Anya was pulled out of the room._

"_Mother!" she shouted._

"_Be brave!" The Queen's voice was getting softer and softer as Anya was pulled back down the dark hallway._

"_Please!" she cried, tears streaming down her face._

"_Tell them I love them!"_

Anya opened her eyes with a gasp, ever sense hitting her in full force. For a second she didn't know where she was, until she looked up to see Jinora and Ikki staring down at her with concern. Touching her cheek, Anya reali?ed that she had been crying. A heavy weight laid on her shoulders as she stood up, a truth weighing on her heart. She looked up into Jinora's eyes, seeing the truth reflected back at her. "You've been meditating for hours," she said, her voice concerned.

"How long?" she whispered, her voice low. Jinora's face stiffened into a false confused expression. Anya looked at her through tear-soaked eyes. "How long have you known my mother is dead?!" she shouted. Jinora stepped back, her eyes saddened.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Jonny thought it would be best if you focused on your airbending." Anya gritted her teeth and fell to her knees, the pain crippling her. She felt the emotion rush through her and suddenly she was no longer in control of her faculties. The power surged through her veins and her eyes glowed white with power. Wind lifted her up to a standing position, and her fists were clenched into tight balls. Tears streaked down her cheeks as her hair lifted off her face from the wind and her body was lifted as the air surrounded her in a ball. Voices shouted up at her, but she couldn't hear them. The only thing that consumed her was the idea that her mother died alone in a cell. The wind whipped around, sending a few people flying. However, it was Leah's voice that managed to reach the Avatar.

"Anya I know you're upset!" she yelled, her hair whipping across her face. "I'm so sorry about your mom. But you still have the rest of your family to rescue. You still have people who love you and care about you, and they need you right now." Anya heard the girl's voice and the wind slowly began to die back down. She slowly fell back to the ground, her white eyes slowly turning back to the wise grey. Finally she was left exhausted and sniffling. She fell back down to her knees and Leah wrapped her arms around the Avatar in a hug. They sat like that for a few minutes, silence surrounding them. Anya then sniffled, all cried out, and slowly stood up back to her feet. Jinora and Ikki were watching her, concerned about her next move. She looked at them with determination, her path now clear.

"I'm going to search for my family," she stated clearly. "While I was meditating I saw clues to their whereabouts and I know where to find them." Jinora slowly nodded her head and walked forward, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Do what you think is right, Avatar," she said softly. "Long ago my father told me to trust the Avatar because their instincts are always right. So, I trust you Anya. If your gut is telling you to find your family, then I'll let you go." Anya smiled and hugged Jinora in gratitude. She stepped back and looked out at the hori?on, her thoughts reeling. Before she had no idea what she was supposed to do, but now everything was so clear. The key to stopping Bishop and the non-benders was by first getting her family back together. But she first needed to get somebody.

"I need to go back to the Underground," she stated clearly. Jinora frowned at this as Ikki smiled peevishly.

"If you go back to Republic City I don't know if Jonny will let you go," she said, frowning. Ikki's grin widened and she winked at the Avatar.

"Sounds like you're going to need to sneak in," she said. She dug into her pack and brought out a small-ish key, handing it over to the Avatar.

"Not a lot of people know this, but there's a back entrance starting at the warehouse and leading to the Underground," she said. "It's an emergency tunnel that Jonny had installed when he first started the Rebellion, just in case Bishop attacked." Anya smiled and thanked the Airbender. Between the two of them walked Lila and Leah. The younger girl was shyly looking up at the Avatar silently, her big eyes widened. Whereas the older girl had her hands on her hips, a smile on her face.

"I'm coming with you," she stated matter-of-factly. Her mother looked down at her with a stern expression.

"No, you're staying here," she said, her voice hard. Leah pouted a little and gave her mom an annoyed look.

"You're nowhere near mastering Airbending," she said logically. "AND you're going to need back-up. All the other Avatars had friends with them on their journeys. So, now you do too." Anya looked down at the spunky Airbender, her face blank. After a moment of thought she nodded her head in consent, her gut telling her that Leah was meant to be her mentor on the road.

"Alright," she consented. Leah turned to her mother whose expression had turned from fearful to proud. She knelt down and gave her daughter a strong hug.

"Be careful," she whispered. Leah smiled and hugged her mother tightly before letting go.

"Don't worry," she assured her. "This'll be fun!" Anya smiled in agreement and the two of them quickly packed up their things and met back in the courtyard. The sun was high in the sky, but by the time they would get to Republic City it would be night. Jinora, Ikki, and Lila gave them a large sack of food and access to a small airplane.

"Leave the plane in Republic City," Jinora advised the Avatar as she jumped into the pilot seat. "And take one of the satomobiles. You'll be less conspicuous in a car then you would be in a plane. And it's more fuel efficient." Anya nodded her head in agreement and pulled some goggles over her eyes. Leah hopped in the back and strapped herself in. As the Avatar started up the engine, the Airbenders all waved at them as they flew into the hori?on.

**Bishop's POV/ Republic City**

He was standing in front of his troops, his chin held high. Everyone was silent around him, waiting for him to speak. Turning to them, his ga?e swooped over them all. Finally, he addressed them with a stern, yet encouraging tone. "Tonight we shall destroy the smoldering remains of the pesky rebels," he announced, his voice echoing around the large room. He paced rhythmically in front of them, his eyes shining. "Tonight we will win a great battle for equality!" There were cheers at this and he smiled cruelly. "Tonight we shall rid the four nations of this filth that tries to overrun us. And then we shall finish the Avatar and everything she stands for!" The cheers rose and people began shouting Bishop over and over, holding up their newly-devised weapons. He turned towards the exit as the warehouse door slowly began to rise open. With a smile spread across his face, Bishop was looking towards the new dawn.

**Anya's POV/ Republic City**

She expertly landed the plane near the warehouse and carefully stored it before finding the hatch door in the corner and sliding down into the sewers. This area wasn't lit and it was rough around the edges, proving how it was manmade. Lighting her fist with fire, she lead the Airbender down the creepy tunnel until coming upon the back of the Underground. She stopped at the corner where the left led to the cells and the right led to the Underground. Turning to Leah, she nodded towards the right.

"Why don't you go get some supplies," she whispered. "I have to go get something from the cells." Leah gave the Avatar a short salute before turning and vanishing into the darkness. Taking a deep breath, Anya slowly made her way down the left tunnel until she reached three cell blocks built into the ground wall. There was a small torch hanging on the wall next to it, and Anya walked forward and looked into the middle cell. In the shadows sat the spy, his head was down but he looked up as Anya approached. Shaking his head in disbelief he chuckled quietly.

"Well, well," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Aren't you supposed to be at the Southern Air Temple?" Anya rolled her eyes and took the lock in her hand. It crumbled with her metal bending and she swung the door open. The boy stood up and looked at the Avatar suspiciously. Anya gestured for him to follow and turned around just to be shocked to see Lana standing there with her arms folded across her chest. Getting in a defensive position, Anya took a threatening step forward, but Lana stood up straight and gave her a hard look.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice harsh.

"We're leaving," Anya stated, pulling the boy up close to her. Lana raised an eyebrow at this and stood her ground.

"And why are you breaking out the nonbender spy?" she questioned. Anya sighed and gave her an exasperated look.

"I'm going after my family," she stated clearly. "And he's the first step. Please Anya…I HAVE to go after them…" Lana looked into her eyes for a long minute, unblinking, until she finally closed her eyes and nodded her head.

"Alright," she consented. "I understand that you need to find your family, but I'm coming with you." Anya balked a little at this, and stepped back in surprise.

"You're the most powerful bender in the world right now, but all of that training is useless if you don't know how to properly fight," she stated. She stood up straight and puffed out her chest a little in pride. "I'm coming with you to teach you hand-to-hand combat…or I'll go tell Jonny you're here trying to help the spy escape." Anya looked at the woman carefully, her wise grey eyes shining for a brief moment before she nodded her head in consent. She grabbed the spy's handcuffs before dragging him back down the dark tunnel and towards the main area where the young airbender was waiting for them. She was leaning against the tunnel wall but stood up to attention when they walked near.

"Um…" she started, gesturing to the two newcomers in confusion, however Anya shook her head and pulled the Airbender down the tunnel.

"We need to get out of here and back to the warehouse," she said. She picked up a bag from Leah's shoulder and pushed the spy over to Lana.

"Watch him while we take care of the bags," she commanded. Lana nodded her head and narrowed her eyes at the spy, who gave her a mean look in return. The strange group made their way down the tunnel until they reached the ladder. Leah blasted a push of wind which forced the manhole cover to be blown sky high. The group then climbed the ladder and found themselves in the fresh air as the light of the moon shone down on them. The city was noisily in the distance and they quickly made their way across the field and to the warehouse where everything was dark. Lana opened the garage door and began collecting a few maintence items.

"We're lucky that none of the engineers are here tonight," Lana said gratefully, pumping fuel into the engine. "Cid or Micah are usually here trying to fix up one of the machines." She quickly swiped the keys from the counter and threw in a few extra wrenches and tools just in case. Lana then jumped into one of the larger satomobiles and revved the engine. Leah followed, but the spy was a little more than uncooperative. He stopped just as Anya was about to shove him into the back seat.

"Wait," he said, stopping in his tracks. Anya gave him a mean look, but he held his ground. "Why are you dragging me along? Why go through the trouble of coming back and breaking me out?" Anya narrowed her eyes at him, hating the fact that she needed this delinquent's help.

"I know that you were telling the truth when you said your friend had seen some people escaping from the Earth palace. I need to know where they went…and figure you might have some info…so therefore you're coming with me," she said matter-of-fact. The spy raised an eyebrow and looked her over for a split second, deciding what to do.

"And what do I get out of it?" he asked. Anya gave him an incredulous look.

"I broke you out of jail."

"I didn't _ask_ you to break me out."

Anya rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips defiantly. "Alright, if you help us get to the Ba Sing Se and help us find that friend of yours, I'll let you go."

"Are you kidding?" Lana questioned, however the Avatar waved her off. The spy looked her up and down to make sure she was serious before holding out his cuffed hands in a handshake.

"Okay, we've got a deal," he stated. Anya nodded her head and shook his hands before gripping the handcuffs and shattering them with her metalbending. The spy smiled and hopped into the back of the satomobile while the Avatar slid into the seat next to him. Lana glanced back at her companions before revving the engine and peeling out of the warehouse and drove towards the hori?on.

**Jonny's POV/ The Underground**

It was late at night and the Underground was normally quiet at this time, however on this particular night people were crowding the tunnels with bags slung across their shoulders and their children following close behind them. Elijah was sitting there with Makki and Ryu by his side. He was frowning at the large map placed on the table. "When do you think they'll get here?" he asked quietly, frowning at the map spread before them. Jonny sighed and pushed a hand through his hair.

"Hopefully not for another few days," he answered. "But we need to start evacuating tonight."

"Where are we going to go?" the Prince asked. Jonny pointed to several points on the map.

"Most of us will go to our safe houses at the Southern Water Tribe," he answered. "There will be a few teams around the four nations just to make sure that the warehouses stay safe and to protect the smaller villages from non-bender attacks." Elijah sighed and ga?ed at the map. Just as he was about to ask if he could go to the Southern Air Temple the door burst open to reveal a muscular earthbender with dark hair and wild eyes.

"Jonny!" he said desperately, his breathing raggedly. "The spy has escaped!" Jonny immediately stood up to attention.

"How did this happen, Badger?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes. Badger took a few steadying breaths before looking up at Jonny and handing him a small folded-up piece of paper. It was hand-written note that said:

Jonny,

The Avatar found out about the Earth Queen and came back to spring the spy from jail. She believes that he has information to where her siblings are. I know that you want to keep her safe, so I'm going with her. We're heading towards Ba Sing Se first, I don't know when we'll be back. If we run into trouble we'll meet you in the South Pole at the safe house in the Tribe. Don't worry, I'll look after Anya for you.

p.s. Please tell Cid that I'm sorry I didn't say good-bye. He'll understand.

Lana

Jonny felt his stomach drop as he handed the note to Elijah who read it and then threw it onto the table as he stood up in frustration. "So you have no idea where she is?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes at the Rebellion leader. Makki put a reassuring hand on the leader's shoulder and gave him a knowing look.

"I know that you're worried, but Anya isn't that same girl you rescued from the palace. She's the Avatar, and she's following her gut," she said in a soothing manner. Elijah stood up to attention and turned towards the door, his face determined.

"I have to go after her," he stated. However, just then the door burst open again to reveal an out-of-breath Cid.

"What now?" Jonny asked, frustrated. Cid gestured towards his headphones, his eyes wide with fear.

"Jonny! The non-benders are here!" he shouted. Everyone's eyes widened and they all jumped up to their feet. Jonny began gathering together the maps and turned towards Makki and Ryu.

"Go get Liu and round up all the families," he told Makki. She nodded her head and sprinted out the door, vanishing into the streets. Jonny turned to Badger and Dev standing there. "I need you two to get the other earthbenders and collapse all of the tunnels but the emergency exit." The two nodded and ran from the room. Jonny then turned to Ryuu. "I need you to get all of the Masters and get them to the emergency hatch before the families, just in case." He nodded his head and ran off towards the dojo. Jonny then turned to Cid with a grave look. "And I need you to gather up as much equipment as you can and head to the warehouse. Tell Micah to leave immediately and begin starting up all the planes and satomobiles." Cid nodded his head grimly before running out, leaving Elijah alone with Jonny. He walked up to the rebellion leader and gave him a dark look.

"What's happening?" he asked, his voice low. Jonny piled up all the maps and packed them in a backpack.

"We have heard word that Bishop and his non-bending regime is planning on attacking the Underground…it looks like tonight is the night," he hurried out of the building with Elijah on his heels.

"Tonight?!" he exclaimed, following closely. Jonny nodded his head and hurried into the main part of the Underground where families were scattering around with bags strapped to their backs and shoulders, kids in tow and looking around with fearful wide eyes. Jonny led the way through the market place before coming to a small shack in the middle where he burst through the door and began throwing things into a pack. Elijah already had his so the two quickly left and walked back into the market place. Just then there was two loud rumblings from opposite ends of the Underground. They shook the market place and all of the families just stopped and listened. A few kids screamed and their mothers hushed them before skirting towards the emergency exit in the back. Jonny gestured for Elijah to follow him and the two made their way through the crowds and down the tunnel. They reached the end where a ladder made way to a large hatch which was opened to reveal a warehouse structure. Elijah pulled himself up after Jonny and the leader turned to see all three engineers quickly working on the satomobiles and airplanes. Vera and Corey were working on getting everything started and assigning the different vehicles to trained Underground employees. Families were crowding into the available satomobiles while a few climbed into the planes. Vera gestured to Jonny and he walked over to the young woman. She gave him a smile and nodded her head.

"We're lucky," she stated. "We _just_ have enough room for all of these people. These planes and vehicles should be up and running in the next hour." Jonny smiled and thanked her before turning to see Cid and Micah working at the table covered in grease and surrounded by equipment. He sighed and walked over to the engineers. Both of them deserved to know what was going on with Lana and Anya.

"Cid, Micah," he said clearly. Both turned towards him, their goggles covering their eyes.

"What's up brother?" Cid asked, his voice hoarse and gentle as always. Jonny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. Finally, he handed over the hand-written note. Cid and Micah reach it together, their faces both going stiff. Cid nodded his head and crumpled up the note before turning back to the work table.

"Listen, man, I'm sure Lana's okay…," Jonny started, but Cid grunted a little before putting up his hand to silence the Rebellion leader.

"Lana will be fine," he stated simply. "She can take care of herself." And with that he was silent. Jonny looked to Micah who was standing there with wide eyes.

"Anya's trying to find her family," he said slowly. "She's the Avatar. She knows how to take care of herself." With that he turned around, like Cid, and focused on his work. Jonny nodded his head and turned back to the rest of the troops. The engineering family took the news the way they take all news: quietly and without showing any emotion. Just then Ryu sprinted back around the corner and slid to a stop in front of the firebender. He was out of breath but he leaned over his knees and looked at Jonny with a anxious expression.

"The troops are coming this way!" he said hurridly. Jonny's eyes turned hard and he immediately began helping kids and parents into the first three planes. Corey and Vera jumped into the first two planes and Carla with her kids into the third.

"Alright, head to the South Pole," he instructed. Corey saluted him before starting up the engine and taking off, Vera and Carla following suit. Only the satomobiles were left now. Just as Cid revved the engine there was a shout from the distance. Jonny looked up to see a big line of black-wearing soldiers marching towards them. Feeling a surge of panic go through him, Jonny turned to see Ryuu and Dev sprint towards the oncoming army and move their feet and hands in unison. A large wall of rock burst from the ground and barricaded the warehouse from the non-benders.

"We'll have to go through the back," Jonny said, helping people into the satomobiles. Ryuu, Makki, Liu, Micah, Cid, and Kay all climbed into the driver's seats of different satomobiles while the others packed in with them. Jonny found himself in the backseat of Liu's vehicle with Elijah on his right and the healer Dakari on his left. Standing up in her seat in Cid's vehicle, Scar grunted as she moved her arms apart and the rebels all peeled out of the back of the warehouse. The rebels' vehicles roared as they revved out of their and barreled into the open plains. Just then blasing lights blasted them from above as war vessels moved in the sky. Jonny looked up to see large pellets rain down on the vehicles. Liu swerved to miss them, but some shot holes in the front. The vehicle was steaming a little, but the crazy earthbender refused to even slow down for a second. Looking ahead, Jonny could see that the other rebel satomobiles were facing the same problemss. Two satomobiles ahead, Scar was standing up in her seat and was sending large boulders flying into the air towards the blimps. A few hit the targets right on and the first large fighter blimp began smoking and turning around. Jonny found himself holding onto his breath until they finally broke through the treeline and into the cover of the dark forest. Ahead there were the sounds whooping and the Rebellion leader let himself smile in the moment.

Just then there was a siren wailing in the distance as the vehicles drove deeper into the mountain forest. Jonny signaled for the others to stop and they all grouped up in a large circle, the vehicle lights being their only means of sight. The Rebellion leader looked at all of his faithful followers and felt a pang of guilt and sadness. After all these years of successful rebellions and fights they were now on the run, with only a few places that remained safe. Clearing his throat, he stood in the middle of the ring of rebels with determination and false hope. "I know that things look rough right now," he said, his voice clear in the silence. "But we cannot lose faith. They might have us on the run, but they will never be able to get rid of us forever. We are the world's last hope for true equality. If we want to see our families safe again then we will continue on in the fight for a better world." He paused for effect, noticing how everyone was watching him with wide, serious eyes. They knew what he was asking of them. He was asking them to die, if need be. And none of them walked away or said anything. They all stood as one, determined in their cause. Jonny gulped down a large lump in his throat and gazed at every one of them. The planes would be arriving at the Southern Water Tribe any minute, and he knew that they still had a chance to save the world from Bishop. "We are tired and we are hungry, but we will not be cowed by this! I promise you that when the time comes, we will have our city back!" People cheered around him as he turned and looked at the dark foreboding forest awaiting them all. "Let's move out!"

**?**

The rain gently fell on the river as she sat in the protection of the trees. She was looking deep into the water of the river, watching the swirls and ebbs of the water. Just then she squinted her eyes and concentrated on the pool of water swirling around the rocks. A vision came to her as she looked into its depths. There was a beautiful and strong young woman with dark, raven hair and she was running down a busy street sending off waves of fire and air towards some unknown assailants, three people by her side. The vision faded and the nomad was left there sitting in the rain at the edge of the river. With a knowing smile she stood up and brushed herself off before hitching her pack onto her shoulder and facing the North. "We'll meet soon Avatar…."

**Anya's POV/Makapu Village**

They had stopped at the small village a few miles away from Republic City to restock on food and supplies. Leah and Lana were in town looking for any good deals while Anya was sitting beside the ocean docks where the fishermen had gone in for the day and everything was silent. She stared at her reflection in the water in contemplative silence. Her hair was still as long and dark as the day she had left her palace and family, and her eyes were the same color; but everything had changed. Anya could feel this smple truth soaked into her skin and bones. She was not the same girl she had been merely 3 years ago. She was the Avatar now. Looking over her shoulder, the Avatar could see Leah and Lana debating about whether or not papya was worth the money while the spy was sitting on the hood of the car, his eyes darting to the left and right suspiciously. Turning back to the water, Anya slowly pulled out a small knife in the folds of her clothes and scooped her hair up into one ponytail. Taking a deep breath, Anya pulled the knife through the hair, cutting it off at the neck. She closed her eyes as she dropped the hair into the water and looked up into the horizon. She was no longer that spoiled princess who would have cringed at the idea of cutting her long hair. She was now the Avatar on a mission. Watching the sun fade away into the sea, Anya turned around and walked back to the car and her new companions.

_**End of Book 3**_


End file.
